Fire Emblem Awakening: Two Heads
by AuthorOfTheUniverse2401
Summary: Robin was sure of two things when he woke up. One: his sister must be protected at all costs. Two: he never remembered having a sister or anything else of his life for that matter. After joining the Shepherds, he became sure of one more thing. The Ylissean army was full of nutcases. Rated T for the same reasons as the game plus blood.
1. Premonition: Invisible Ties

_Dark energy crackled through the air._

 _The temple filled with the sounds of metal and explosions of energy._

" _Up there!"_

 _He blasted the magic circle with lightning, the two energies cancelling each other out._

" _You fool!"_

 _His friend was engulfed in crackling, sparking smoke._

" _Ga ha ha! Die!"_

 _He countered the fell magic with more lightning._

 _The temple was silent for the briefest of moments as the agent of destruction sneered at him._

 _His friend stood next to him, face brimming with confidence._

" _This is it, our final battle!"_

" _We will kill him together!"_

 _Words spoken by an unseen woman._

" _You're both one of us now, and no 'destiny' can change that!"_

 _His friend charged after saying those words._

 _The dark sorcerer laughed and turned to meet his charge._

" _Ha ha ha! Why do you resist?"_

 _His friend swiped at the sorcerer with the sacred sword._

 _The sorcerer jumped back, directly into his lightning strike._

" _You cannot unwrite what is already written!"_

 _Another explosion of dark magic engulfed them both, despite the sorcerer's temporary paralysis._

" _Anything can change!"_

 _Still paralyzed, the sorcerer could do nothing to prevent the sacred sword running through his chest._

 _His friend stepped back, watching as the sorcerer collapsed to his knees, engulfed in purple flames._

 _His friend turned and grinned._

" _This isn't over…"_

 _The charred body rose and flung its unholy flames at its opponent._

" _Damn you BOTH!"_

 _He shoved his friend to the ground without hesitation as everything went white._

" _Are you alright?"_

 _Someone else lifted him up along with his friend._

" _He hasn't sustained mortal damage."_

 _He watched the sorcerer's corpse turn to ash._

" _That's the end of him."_

 _The ash scattered to the nonexistent wind._

" _Thanks to you we carried the day."_

 _He lowered his head in exhaustion._

" _That was almost too easy."_

 _His vision suddenly went red as he felt a thunderous presence tearing at his mind._

" _He's dead, isn't he? We can rest easy now, at long last."_

 _He looked up at his friend without willing it._

" _What's wrong?"_

 _The presence grew louder, ripping and tearing, demanding the one thing it craved most._

" _Please, you must resist!"_

" _Hey, hang on!"_

 _A great impact caused his friend to grimace._

 _His friend stepped back, a blade of thunder impaled through his abdomen._

" _Oh gods!"_

 _His friend looked down at the blade._

 _He looked at his own sparking hand._

" _This is not your…your fault."_

 _Now his heart pounded along with his head._

" _Promise me…you'll escape from this place."_

" _Please, no!"_

 _His friend began falling to the ground._

" _Please…go."_

" _NOOO!"_

 _His friend fell to the ground, unmoving._

 _He held his face in shame and darkness filled his vision._

" _You bastard! You are not my brother!"_

 _Horrid laughter filled the temple._


	2. Prologue: Verge of History

"Chrom, we have to do _something_."

The air was warm and fresh, carrying the faint scent of pine.

"What do you propose we do?"

The voices motivated him to open his eyes. Two people were standing over him with concerned expressions.

"I…I dunno!"

That voice came from the girl on his right, who watched him intently. She smiled as she noticed he had awoken. The blue-haired man on his left also smiled and knelt down next to him.

"Hey there!" the girl said.

He looked back and forth. He didn't know either of these people and yet…somehow, they seemed familiar to him.

The man had short blue hair and a white cape. Other than that, he was dressed lightly, the biggest piece of armor on his body a left shoulder brace. Based on his appearance he favored movement over defense. On his hip he carried a strangely-shaped sword with a hole just above the hilt, positioned to be easily reached by either hand. Was the man ambidextrous, perhaps?

The girl was shorter, with blond hair that came up in two ponytails. She was wearing a simple yellow dress and had a long staff on her back. She seemed cheerful enough, and this along with her dress indicated a general disinclination for combat.

Wait, how had he been able to read them so quickly?

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know," the man said, eliciting a giggle from the girl.

"Oh, you should try it," he said. "Randomly passing out in the middle of the day, does wonders for fatigue."

The man shook his head. "Give me your hand."

He did just that, taking the hand the man offered and hoisting himself up.

"You all right?" the man asked.

"Not really," he said with a grin. "My head hurts like hell but thanks for asking, Chrom."

Chrom tilted his head curiously. "Ah, then you know who I am?"

"Never seen you in my life," he said. Then he held his forehead. "Wait, have I? No, of course not. It's like I just knew who you were…instinctively. Does that make sense?"

"I can't say that it does," Chrom admitted, his brow furrowed in thought. "Tell me, do you have a name? What brings you here?"

He nodded. "Bit of a silly question, everyone has a name. Mine is…" His mouth hung open, but no words came out.

"You don't know your own name?" Chrom asked.

"I…" this feeling felt so foreign. Usually, he would have something to say, likely a biting sarcastic retort. Yet his heart pounded in fear and he knew there was something he needed to remember right _now._

"Look, I don't know where I am," he finally decided to say. "Can you at least tell me that much?"

"Hey, I've heard of this!" He jumped slightly as the girl suddenly shouted. "It's called amnesia!"

"It's called a load of pegasus dung," a third voice interjected.

Robin looked past Chrom to notice a third stranger, this one a tall broad-shouldered man in heavy armor. He had well-kept brown hair and was wearing what appeared to be a collared shirt under his armor. Was he some kind of steward knight? He was standing next to an equally-heavily armored horse with a long lance strapped to its side. All in all, he was an expert of combat, emphasizing high defense and a rather paranoid disposition.

Seriously, how was he reading these people so well?

"Call it what you want, but I'm terrified of it right now," the amnesiac admitted.

The armored man stepped towards him, scrutinizing him from every angle. Checking for hidden weapons, perhaps? "We're to believe you remember milord's name, but not your own?"

"So his name really is Chrom, then?" he asked. "Thanks, now I'm even more freaked out than before."

The armored man's scowl deepened, if such a thing was possible.

"Frederick, what if he _is_ telling the truth?" Chrom asked. "We can't just leave him here, alone and confused. What sort of Shepherds would we be, then?"

Alone and confused…someone was alone and confused. Was that himself or someone else? He was certainly confused and scared, but there was someone else who was alone. Dammit, who was it? It was on the tip of his tongue…

"Just the same, milord, I must emphasize caution," Frederick said, turning to address his apparent superior. "'Twould not do to let a wolf into our flock."

What the hell kind of metaphor was that? Sheep weren't exactly intimidating. Fluffy, yes, but not something that would strike fear into anyone. Unless they were speaking literally…

"Right then," Chrom said. "We'll take him back to town and sort this out there."

"Now hold on, what if I don't want to go to town?" he asked.

"Peace, friend," Chrom reassured him. "We'll hear all you have to say back in town. Now come."

He raised a finger as if to say something, then sighed. "Why are you so relentlessly nice?"

Chrom smiled. "Can't help who I am." He turned, fully expecting the stranger to follow him. The girl did follow him.

"That kindness will get you killed one day," he said, shaking his head in exasperation.

"You're not helping your case by making ominous threats like that," Frederick said, glaring daggers into the nameless amnesiac.

"It wasn't a threat," he retorted, "merely a statement of fact."

Frederick glared at him some more before shoving him ahead, nearly knocking the amnesiac to the ground. "Get moving."

* * *

They had been travelling the road for a while now. The others had formed a triangle around him; Chrom and Lissa walked ahead while Frederick brought up the rear, walking his horse. The amnesiac swore that the horse was glaring at him just as hard as her master, though perhaps that was just the shadows of the armor on her eyes.

The amnesiac shook his head in frustration. "Look, if you were going to take me prisoner, you should have just said it upfront," he blurted out.

Everyone stopped as Chrom turned to look at the stranger. Though he was smiling, it was difficult to tell whether there was genuine mirth behind it. "You'll be free to go once we establish you're no enemy of Ylisse."

"So that is the name of this country?" he asked. "Good, that's one question answered, only a few thousand to go."

"You've never heard of the halidom?" Frederick asked incredulously. "Ha! Someone pay this actor, he plays quite the fool! The furrowed brow is especially convincing."

His horse suddenly whinnied in what could only have been an agreement.

"Nobody asked you," he said, pointing an accusatory finger at the horse. She bit at his finger and the amnesiac quickly jumped back. "N-nice pony."

"You should know that Strider is as tolerant of your jests as I am," Frederick said. "Which is to say, not at all."

Now there was no doubt. The horse was _definitely_ glaring at him.

"This land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse,"Chrom explained. "Our ruler, Emmeryn, is called the exalt."

Desperate to get off the subject of the horse, he turned to face the blue-haired man. "Right, I appreciate your hospitality and providing me information, but I just realized that we haven't been properly introduced."

"Ah, of course," Chrom said. "Forgive my manners. My name is Chrom – but then, you already knew that." He gestured to the girl. "The delicate one here is my little sister, Lissa."

Lissa frowned and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I am NOT delicate! Hmph!" In nearly an instant, she went back to smiling sweetly. "Ignore my brother, please. He can be a bit thick sometimes. But you're lucky the Shepherds found you, brigands would've been a rude awakening!"

"Brigands must be a big problem around here," he said, "if you tend sheep in full armor."

"Heh, it's a dangerous job," Chrom said. "Just ask Frederick the Wary here."

"A title I shall wear with pride," the wary one said without missing a beat. Honeslty, did _anything_ get this guy to do something other than glare mildly? "Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution." He directed his gaze on the amnesiac again. "I have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station mandates otherwise."

"Can't say I blame you," the stranger admitted. "If our roles were reversed, I'd have my horse bite your hand off too."

Strider snorted at him.

"Since we're all in the introducing mood, you can call me Robin," the stranger said. Then the realization came to him. "Oh, so that's my name. Now that's two questions answered."

"Robin? Is that foreign?" Chrom asked.

"Why would you ask me?" Robin said. "I'd know just as well as…"

He suddenly cut himself off as a thought struck him. The name Robin. It reminded him of something important. Something he needed to…to…

"Oh gods!" Robin shouted, his hands in his hair. "How could I have been so stupid?!"

Everyone recoiled suddenly. "What's wrong?" Chrom asked. "Did you remember something?"

"Damn right, I did!" Robin said, his panic getting the better of him. "My sister is in trouble!"

"No way," Lissa said. "You have a sister too?"

"How do you know she is in trouble?" Frederick asked.

"Do you see her standing next to me?" Robin asked. "No? Then of course she's in trouble! I need to find her right _now!_ "

"Honestly, she can't be any more troublesome than you," Frederick said.

"Frederick, this is serious," Chrom said. "Imagine if Lissa or I went missing. Robin is going through the same thing right now."

Frederick gasped lightly, then nodded. "Apologies, milord."

"Now, Robin," Chrom said. "I need you to calm down. Screaming to the heavens will only get you a headache. Now what did she look like?"

"Just like me," Robin said, taking deep breaths to stop from hyperventilating. "Wearing the same outfit, but with longer hair falling down her front. White hair. That should stand out, don't see too many people with…" He trailed off again, sniffing the air. "Does anyone else smell smoke?"

Everyone else followed suit, sniffing the air and looking around.

"Chrom, look! The town!" Lissa called from up ahead. The other three hurried after her.

They had broken through the trees at the top of a small hill overlooking the town. It was a small place, bigger than a simple farming village but not quite big enough to be considered a city. There was a tall building directly in the center, likely a church or a town hall. Thick black tendrils of smoke were rising into the sky from that building along with others around it.

"Damn it!" Chrom exclaimed, suddenly losing his own composure. "The town is ablaze! Those blasted brigands, no doubt…" He turned to his two companions. "Frederick, Lissa! Quickly!"

"What about him?" Frederick asked, gesturing to Robin as he mounted his horse.

"Unless he's on fire as well, he can wait!" Chrom said.

"Aptly put, milord," Frederick said grimly.

"No respect at all," Robin said.

"Let's go already!" Lissa said, running down the path. The other two followed without a second thought.

Robin looked from his own hands to the blazing town. Another building was beginning to emit smoke now.

"Damn it!" he said. "Sorry, Sis, just hold on a bit longer." With that, he sprinted after the Shepherds.

* * *

The people of Southtown were running in a panic.

The bandits had shown up out of nowhere, threatening to burn the whole town down if they didn't get all the valuables in town. When no one stepped forward with their treasures, one of the brigands threw their torch into a cart and began the blaze. From there, everything had dissolved into chaos as the men tried in vain to fight back while the women herded the children either inside or out of town entirely.

"Gra ha ha!" Garrick the bandit leader laughed. "Get to it lads. Grab anything shiny and put the rest to the torch! We gots an example to set for these Ylissean types!"

His underlings ran off at his orders, each one grabbing a torch as they went.

"Ain't that right, lass?" Garrick asked. The young lady had been one of a few that the bandits had managed to grab and lock up in town hall.

"S-stay away from me!" the maiden said, managing to rip her arm out of Garrick's grasp. She began running away. "Please! Someone! HEEEEELP!"

Before she could get far, one of the bandits ran on the bridge the maiden was on and took her arm again. No matter how she tried to struggle, she couldn't get free this time.

"That's enough of that," Garrick said, walking up to the two of them with a sinister grin.

Before anyone could say anything else, the bandit who had grabbed the maiden suddenly lurched forward. He fell to the ground face down, blood dripping from his mouth.

"I couldn't agree more," said Chrom, Falchion's blood-soaked tip pointed at the leader. "Leave this town now!"

"Heh heh," Garrick said, stepping back. "You think you'll scare the mighty Garrick with empty threats like those?"

"It was your only warning," Frederick said, riding up to the group with Lissa holding on tight behind him. Once they stopped, she dismounted and ran up to the maiden.

"Are you hurt, miss?" she asked. When the maiden shook her head, Lissa nodded. "Get to safety, we Shepherds will take it from here."

The maiden nodded and ran off.

"Only three of you?" Garrick asked. "How do you expect to drive us off with only three soldiers?"

Garrick whistled and more bandits ran up to them from alleys and roads around them, carrying axes and swords.

"Six of them?" Frederick asked. "This might be more difficult than I thought."

"Stay close, Lissa," Chrom said. Lissa nodded, holding her staff in front of her like a shield.

"I'll leave you lads to it, then," Garrick said, running off. "Keep them busy while the rest of us plunder some more! Ha ha ha!"

"Damn," Chrom said. "At this rate, they'll get away with all of Southtown's riches."

"Focus on the task at hand, milord," Frederick said. "The enemy is advancing."

Indeed, the axmen and swordsmen were getting closer by the second.

Then one of them gasped as a slicing was heard. The ruffian fell to the ground to reveal the one behind him.

Robin grinned and raised his sword in greeting. "Don't forget me!" he said.

One of the axmen growled and charged at Robin from the side. Unprepared, Robin jumped aside too late and felt the axe blade graze his side. Ignoring the pain and the hot blood seeping up, he swung his sword again and made a large gash in the enemy's shoulder. The tide had turned, but even so another swordsmen was charging at him and the wound was impeding his movement.

The bandit was thrown aside by a swift kick from Strider.

"You saved me?" Robin asked, his voice a bit strained.

"We're on the same side for now," Frederick said. "My suspicions of you don't change that."

Chrom locked blades with another swordsman. "Lissa, take care of Robin!"

"On it!" said Lissa, rushing to the man in question. "Hold still, this'll sting for only a second."

She raised her staff in the air and Robin was enveloped in green light. In seconds, the pain in his wound faded and blood stopped seeping through. Robin lifted his robes aside to see the wound had indeed closed.

"Neat trick you've got there," Robin said.

"That's right!" Lissa said. "Even if I'm not the best fighter like Frederick or Chrom, I'm the one who'll be patching you up." She stuck her tongue out at Chrom, who was walking up to them after finishing his fight. "Now who's delicate?"

Chrom smiled for a moment, then was back to being grim. "The other two ran away when I dealt with their comrade."

"We must search the town," Frederick said. "If we can defeat the bandits' leader, they will run off."

"He could be anywhere," Robin said. "The most efficient way is to split up and search the individual sections."

"That reminds me," Chrom said. "What are you doing here anyway, Robin? Not that I don't appreciate the rescue."

"You left me in the middle of the road, _captain_ ," Robin said. "What did you expect me to do, arrange flowers?"

"I suppose that's a fair point," Chrom said. "We should get moving."

"Frederick, you take the north half of town," Robin said. "You're on horseback, so you can cover a wider area faster. Chrom, you take the southwest. I'll take the southeast. Lissa, you get in the people's homes and evacuate as many as possible."

"Who died and made you exalt?" Frederick asked.

"Please," Robin said. "I know you don't trust me but…formulating efficient plans is what I do. It's an instinctual thing, like how I knew Chrom's name. We need to find the bandits' leader and this is the quickest way to do so."

Frederick stared at Robin for a long while. Then he sighed. "Very well. But if anything should happen to milord or milady because of you, there'll be hell to pay."

"I get it," Robin said. "Now go! We can't waste any more time."

Frederick nodded and spurred Strider along to the north.

"I'm going to see if I can get inside that church first," Lissa said. "I saw that guy take the maiden out of there."

"Get to it," said Robin as he ran off to the southeast.

"Stay safe, Lissa," Chrom said as he too ran off.

"Hmph," Lissa said, puffing her cheeks out as she stomped across the bridge to the church. "I'm not a little kid anymore, I can take care of myself."

* * *

Chrom ran through the empty streets of Southtown, looking around frantically.

"It's like a ghost town," he said to himself. "I dearly hope the people escaped rather than…the alternative."

"You can ask them yourself when you join them!" jeered a voice behind him.

He turned and saw two bandits branding their swords at him. Chrom pointed Falchion's tip at them.

"You two were part of the ambush earlier, weren't you?" he asked. "Then you know what will happen to you if you face me."

"Yeah," the one on the right said with a vicious grin. "We take revenge and your gold!" he charged forward, more bold than his comrade. Chrom raised Falchion and deflected the incoming blade, striking back immediately. They locked swords again.

"Tell me where your leader is!" Chrom demanded. The swordsman merely grinned and spat in his face. Chrom kicked the man away and turned to the other bandit.

He was surprised to see the other bandit was already occupied with the sword of someone in a familiar black cloak.

"Robin?" Chrom asked. "I thought you were checking the southeast?"

The hooded figure turned, the shadows obscuring their face. "Behind you!"

Chrom turned just in time to sidestep the swordsman's attack. After answering with a slice of his own, Chrom felled his would-be attacker.

He turned to thank the hooded one only to find the other brigand on the ground, unmoving.

"Where did he run off to?" Chrom asked himself, confused. Then he shook his head and ran off to continue his search.

* * *

Robin sincerely hoped he was doing the right thing. Splitting up like this was risky.

 _But no battle is without risk_ , he thought to himself. The others were fighting not just for their own lives, but for the people of this town as well. If that was the case, Robin would return the favor.

Robin's thoughts were interrupted by a yell. An axman was charging at him from the side. He raised his sword, catching the shaft of the ax on the flat of the blade. He grimaced at the ax blade so close to his own face.

"This is why I hate swordplay," Robin said. "So…uncivilized."

He threw the axman off of him and got in a ready stance. The axman charged again and this time Robin opted to dodge the attack rather than block it. He thrust at the brigand, only to meet empty air when the opponent backed up. The brigand struck the blade out of Robin's hands and put his foot down on the sword.

As the axman began to step forward with a sinister smile, Robin backed up. He was met with a wall.

"Don't come any closer," Robin said, reaching into his cloak, "or you'll have to face…THIS!"

He took out a large yellow book with a lightning bolt on the cover. The axman was taken aback and stopped advancing for a moment.

The two of them stared at each other for a very long time. Then the brigand tilted his head.

"You don't know how to use that," he realized.

Robin looked from the man to the book, then decided to do the only thing he could think of.

The man recoiled from the impact of the book hitting his face. "You bastard, you broke my nose!"

"Judging by your face, I'd say it's not the first time," Robin said, picking up his sword from behind the bandit. "Unless you mean to tell me you were born that ugly?"

The bandit turned his rage filled gaze on the tactician, nose bleeding profusely.

"You better not have gotten any blood on my book," Robin said, "or I'll break more than your nose!"

The man raised his axe. "DIE!"

Before the man could lower his axe, he was surrounded by a golden circle of light. Then his weapon was blown out of his hand by a powerful gust of wind. Taking the opportunity, Robin charged and ran the man through.

Robin looked around. He was the only one standing in the road.

"Guess I have some kind of divine guardian," he said, picking up his book. "Or perhaps I'm just being vain."

He looked towards the church. "I should check on Lissa," Robin said. "That guy wasn't anywhere around here."

* * *

Frederick looked around at the seventh empty street he was walking down.

"It's too quiet," he said, his voice instinctively lowering to a whisper. "The entire northwest was empty. We should have run into _something_ by now."

He looked at the windows shuttered and the smoldering remains of a wagon.

"The people are gone as well," he said. "I am beginning to think that Robin set us up for failure. Is he secretly a member of the bandits and used this 'splitting up' ordeal to set a trap?"

Strider, unsurprisingly, gave no reply.

"Perhaps I am being a bit paranoid," Frederick said. "My duty is to find the bandits' leader and that is what I must do."

"Did I hear someone call me?" called Garrick's voice.

Frederick pointed his lance down the road. "Show yourself now, brigand!"

Garrick casually strolled out from behind a miraculously unburned wagon. "You've got some nerve taking me all on your lonesome!"

"I could say the same for you," Frederick said.

Garrick laughed at that. "Who said anything about being alone?"

At his words, the shuttered windows of the nearby houses burst open as three brigands appeared from them. Two carried a swords while a third wore a pointed hat and had a red book in one hand – a mage.

"Now, how do you like these…" Garrick paused and pointed at each brigand in turn. "Only three of you? Where are Jeric and Flyte?"

"Dead, sir," the mage replied. "They were felled by someone in a black coat."

Frederick's brow furrowed. Was it coincidence?

"Oh well, can't be helped," Garrick said. "Three on one is good enough for me. Get to it, lads!"

"Yes sir!" the three brigands shouted as Garrick ran out of sight.

"Coward, hiding behind his own men," Frederick said as he pointed his lance at each one. "I recommend you all stand down. Don't make me kill you."

"Go to hell!" one of the swordsmen cried out, charging Frederick with a two-handed grip on his blade.

Frederick spurred Strider forward, out of range of the attack. He immediately looped back around, his lance pointed straight at the brigand. However, a flash out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Without hesitating, he dove off of Strider as a fireball flew past the space he once occupied.

"Getting me on equal footing with you," Frederick said. "Not bad. But it will do you little good in the long run!"

He stood and blocked the brigand's incoming sword strike with the lance's shaft while the second swordsman charged at him from behind. Frederick changed position slightly and allowed the blade to clang harmlessly against his shoulder armor. He pushed the first brigand away and thrust at the other. The man fell to the ground, blood seeping onto his clothes where he was wounded.

He saw another flash of light and turned to see the mage wielding another fireball in his hand. The mage raised his hand…

And suddenly looked to the left as a whinnying was heard. Before anyone could react, Strider galloped up, raised on her hind legs and lashed out with her forelegs. The mage could do nothing but fall to the ground at the powerful kick to the head.

"Good girl!" Frederick said, facing the swordsman one more. The brigand turned from the heavily armored lance bearer to the horse that was currently glaring daggers at him. Then he did the sensible thing…and ran off.

"As courageous as their leader, I see," Frederick said, mounting Strider once more. "Now, why did Robin kill bandits up here if he was checking the southeast."

He looked to the church, hearing a loud crashing sound. Without hesitation, he rode back to the center of town.

* * *

Lissa looked at the large pile of broken, burnt wood blocking the church doors. "No way am I clearing that any time soon," Lissa said. With no other option, she checked the shuttered windows, seeing that they too were shut tight. A makeshift bolt had been placed on them.

Lissa knocked on the shutters. "Hello?" she called. "Is anyone there? I'm here to rescue you!"

"A voice!" called a woman from inside. "Please, help us! They locked us in with the children!"

"Step away from the window, I have an idea!" Lissa called. She gave a few seconds' pause before taking a deep breath. "I really hope this works…"

She raised her staff and brought it down on the bolt with all her strength. It budged slightly. She tried again and was rewarded with the sloppily placed nails falling off. One more hit and the shutters swung open.

There was a small crowd of women and children huddling together inside. Lissa hoisted herself up and crawled through the small window. "Is anyone hurt?" she asked when she got up on her feet.

There were general mumblings confirming that no one was hurt.

"Everyone climb out the window!" she said. "It's a tough squeeze, but it's our only option."

Everyone began moving out, Lissa staying next to the window to make sure that everyone got out safely. Once everyone left, she sighed with relief.

"Now, time to go meet up with Chrom," she said.

Before she could move, a hand reached around and covered her mouth.

"I don't think so, lass," Garrick whispered from behind her.

* * *

Robin tapped his foot impatiently. "So, he escaped then? Did you see what direction he took off in?"

"Unfortunately, no," Frederick admitted. "The brigands attacked me before I could get my bearings. They did mention their numbers being decreased by someone in a black cloak." He glared at Robin again. Was that just his default expression?

"Don't look at me," Robin said. "I was still in the southeast nearly being killed."

"But I saw someone in a black cloak as well," Chrom said. "They helped me fight off some of the bandits before disappearing. It's strange, I almost thought it was you, Robin."

"We can worry about that later," Robin said. "Now, where would be the most likely place for someone to hide?"

"Perhaps the church?" Frederick asked. "It seems to have been cleared out."

They all looked where Frederick was pointing and saw the women and children milling about in front of the church.

"Good, Lissa did her part," Chrom said with a smile. "Let's check in on her."

They arrived at the church and climbed through with some difficulty.

"Lissa?" Chrom called. "Are you here?"

"Something's not right," Frederick said, his armored footsteps echoing through the church. "She should be here."

"Looking for this?" called the all-too-familiar voice.

They all looked at the altar where Garrick had come out of hiding. He had Lissa in a headlock and a small hand axe at her throat.

"You bastard!" Chrom called, hand on Falchion. "Let her go right now!"

"Now, now, let's all calm down," Garrick said, his sinister smile never seeming to go away. "If I slip I might…mess up her hair."

Frederick's grip tightened on his lance. "You spineless…how did you even get in here?"

Garrick laughed. "Those townsfolk thought their secret entrance was hidden oh so well. But Garrick is too smart to be fooled by a false brick."

Chrom sighed and slowly let go of Falchion. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice strained.

"Obvious, isn't it?" Garrick asked. "Let me go and don't try and stop me."

Robin's mind was racing, desperate to think of some way to get out of this. But still, there wasn't anything he could come up with. This really seemed like a hopeless situation.

"Well, what's it to be?" Garrick asked. "Come on, I don't have all day for you to mull it over." His hand axe inched slightly closer to Lissa's face.

Before anyone could move, the dust around Garrick swirled off the ground and got in his face.

"What?!" he shouted over the wind. "Where the hell did this come from?"

His grip on Lissa loosened slightly without his even thinking on it. Lissa took advantage of the situation accordingly.

"GAH!" Garrick cried out, dropping his axe and gripping his arm tight. "You little brat!"

"Ew ew ew!" Lissa said, hiding her mouth on her sleeve as she ran up to Chrom. "That was so gross!"

"You actually bit me," Garrick said, looking at the teeth marks on his arm. He raised his hand axe and stepped forward. "You'll pay for that you b –"

His words were cut off as a yellow ball of lightning enveloped him. His entire body shook from the energy as he collapsed to the ground. Then he stopped moving.

"Robin?!" Chrom exclaimed. "You can use magic?"

Robin looked at the yellow tome he had in his hand, the pages magically flipping themselves as a magic circle surrounded him.

"I think so," Robin said. "I'm picking it up as I go."

"I see," Chrom said, taking a small step away from the mage. "I think I'll stay a few paces behind you until you pick up the rest."

"No worries, I can control it," Robin said.

"Not as well as me, of course," called a voice from behind them.

Everyone turned to address the newcomer. The doors had been opened and the debris piled in front of it blown aside. Who else would have been standing there but the hooded figure? She held a green tome in her hand and a sword on her hip.

She removed her hood and revealed her face.

Soft features, slightly higher cheekbones than normal, and white hair that fell down her front in two long ponytails.

"She looks just like…" Lissa said, her voice trailing off as the man in question stepped forward.

He dropped his tome on the ground. "S-sis," Robin said.

The woman smiled and opened her arms. "Come here, brother."

Robin sprinted up and hugged her.

Chrom and Lissa smiled at the scene. Frederick, impassive as ever, merely watched the scene, though the corner of his lips did twitch somewhat.

Robin finally separated from his sister. "Are you alright? Are you hurt at all?"

The woman shook her head. "Those brigands didn't even land a single blow."

Robin sighed in relief. "Thank the gods," he said. In an instant his expression turned from relief to annoyance. "Now tell me what the hell you were doing worrying me like that!"

The woman also took on an annoyed expression. "I worried _you_? You're the one who left me passed out in the middle of the road without the foggiest idea where you were!"

"Excuse me?" Robin demanded. "I believe you were the one who left _me_ passed out."

"That gives you no excuse to run recklessly into a town ravaged by bandits with barely a memory to your name, much less a plan!" she replied.

"I did have a plan!" Robin retorted.

"Oh, so you _planned_ to have your side split open by an axe?!" she scolded.

Chrom and Lissa were now extremely confused. "They went from embracing to arguing in a heartbeat," Chrom said as the argument continued. ("I had to save your life on at least half a dozen counts!" the woman shouted.)

"They're siblings, all right," Frederick said. ("But I was able to handle myself just fine, wasn't I?" Robin said.)

"What makes you say that?" Lissa asked. ("You call throwing your Thunder tome at the enemy 'handling yourself just fine?'" the woman retorted.)

"They are arguing just like you two do," Frederick said.

Chrom was taken aback. "Surely we don't get as heated as those two?"

"Not as much as you did when you were younger," Frederick admitted.

Robin suddenly started laughing and everyone stared at him.

"I can't believe this," Robin said. "I don't remember anything about you and yet…somehow I just know this is how we always act. How it should be, you know?"

The woman smiled again. "It's funny, I was thinking the same thing," she said. "Now, perhaps you can introduce me to your new friends?"

"Right, of course!" Robin said. He turned and put an arm on his sister's shoulder. "Shepherds, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Robin!"

There was silence for a moment. Then Lissa tilted her head.

"Wait, you're…both named Robin?" she asked.

"That sounds…inconvenient," Chrom said.

"I agree, that can't actually be my name," the girl "Robin" said.

"Well then what _is_ your name?" the guy Robin asked.

"Robin, obviously," the woman said. Then she held her head. "Wait, that can't be right…"

"Naga give me strength," Frederick said to himself.

"We'll figure this out later," Robin said. "Tall, mean, and scary on the right is Frederick."

The man in question continued to glare at both Robins.

"He doesn't seem so bad," the sister said. "A little rough around the edges, but surely he is justified in his paranoia."

Frederick stared at them for a moment before nodding. "I think this one is much more tolerable."

"Just watch out for his horse," the brother whispered to girl Robin. "I'm pretty sure it's actually a demon in disguise."

His sister sighed and held a hand up to her head.

"And this girl on the left is Lissa," Robin said. "She saved my life and is very, very delicate."

"For the last time," Lissa said, crossing her arms. "I am NOT delicate!"

"You handled yourself well given the circumstances," Robin's sister said. "Very admirable the way you evacuated everyone."

Lissa smiled. "Aw, thanks Robin!"

"Your welcome," guy Robin said.

"No, I meant – ugh, this is so confusing!" Lissa said.

Robin pointed at the last person. "And the blue-haired guy here is –"

"Chrom, right?" the woman asked.

"So, you know my name too?" Chrom asked.

"Yes, though I can't say I know how," Robin's sister said. "I know for a fact that we have never met before and yet…I feel that I already know you."

"How bizarrely coincidental," Frederick said. "Might you even be capable of an explanation for how you came here?"

"I understand your skepticism, Sir Frederick," girl Robin said. "But I have shared all I know. My memory is no better than my brother's."

"You fought to save Ylissean lives," Chrom said. "My heart tells me that is enough."

"And your head, milord?" Frederick asked. "Will you not heed its counsel as well?"

"Frederick, the Shepherds could use someone with Robin's talents," Chrom replied with a stern face. "We've brigands and unruly neighbors, all looking to bloody our soil. Would you really have us lose such an able tactician?" He smiled at the two people he had met only that day. "Besides, I believe their story, strange as it may be."

"You really flatter us, Chrom," guy Robin said. "You should know, my sister has just as sharp a mind as mine. She can be of great use to you."

"Forgive my brother's lack of tact," girl Robin said. "That was simply his way of expressing gratitude. He is truly grateful even if he doesn't always seem like it."

"Hey, just what is that supposed to mean?" Robin asked his sister.

"You know exactly what I'm saying," girl Robin replied with a sigh.

"So how about it?" Chrom asked. "Will you join us in the Shepherds?" he held his hand out to them.

The two Robins looked at each other and nodded. Girl Robin took Chrom's hand. "I would be honored."

"That goes double for me," male Robin said, taking Chrom's other hand.

* * *

 **A/N: I promise I'll get a better way to distinguish the two Robins in the next chapter.**

 **So yes, this is a novelization of Fire Emblem Awakening with a twist: both Robins! One is cynical, snarky, and a bit of a jerk while the other is the (relatively) more level-headed, optimistic, and friendly. Strangely, I reversed their roles without even meaning to; usually most people see the female Robin as the more sarcastic one. At any rate, I think this turned out alright. I would have fleshed it out a bit more (particularly where the fight scenes are concerned), but this chapter was at over 6,000 words as is. Let me know what you think and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of this story!**


	3. Chapter 1: Unwelcome Change

The Shepherds (minus the Robins) were looking over Southtown from the bridge in front of the church. Though smoke was still rising into the sky, it would dispel soon now that the fires had been put out. The buildings were mostly in one piece, and repairs wouldn't take too long.

Yet there was still something bothering the three.

"Did you miss me?" called the now familiar voice of the male Robin. He walked up to them with his sister in tow.

"We've finished surveying the town," girl Robin said. "There were minimal casualties and those that have sustained injuries are being treated. We were lucky to have noticed the conflict so soon after it started."

"Indeed, things could have been much worse had we not intervened," said Chrom, staring at the ground as he couldn't help but envision that terrible scenario.

"Did you notice, milord?" Frederick asked. "The brigands spoke with a Plegian accent.

"What's a Plegian?" girl Robin asked.

"Plegia is Ylisse's westerly neighbor," Chrom explained. "They send small bands into our territory, hoping to instigate a war."

"And it's the poor townsfolk who suffer!" Lissa said, gazing upon the scorch marks on the buildings. "Totally innocent and totally helpless."

Frederick stepped up next to Lissa. "They do have us, milady: Shepherds to protect the sheep."

"Fat load of good their sheep will do them if they're –" Male Robin's whispers to himself were cut off when his sister stomped on his foot. He glared at his sister and she shrugged.

"Do not be swept up in your anger, it will cloud your judgement," Frederick continued, either not hearing Robin or ignoring him.

"I know, I know," Lissa said, gazing at the small stream flowing under the bridge. Then she turned and smiled at the rest of them. "Don't worry, I'll get used to this."

"I'm sure you will," female Robin said with a reassuring smile. "You're a brave and resourceful individual. The teeth marks on that brigand's arm are proof enough of that."

"Ewww, don't remind me," Lissa replied. "It'll take days to get that awful taste out of my mouth. But thanks anyway, Robby!"

"Robby" raised an eyebrow.

"I came up with that idea for your nickname," Lissa said. "I guess it could use some work…"

They were interrupted when one of the villagers walked up to the group.

"Milord, please!" he said to Chrom with a thankful smile "You must stay the night! We are simple folk of simple means, but we would gladly toast your valor with a feast!"

Frederick turned and addressed the man with a patient smile. "A most generous offer, sir," he said, "and no doubt your hospitality would be grand. But I'm afraid we must hurry back to Ylisstol."

"Dark meat only for me, medium well," Lissa said, "and no salt in the soup, I simply – wait, what?! We're not staying?"

"Lissa please," said male Robin. "I'm hungry enough as it is without you giving me menu ideas."

"But, Frederick, it's nearly dark!" Lissa continued.

"When night falls, we'll camp," Frederick said with that same patient smile. "Eat off the land, make our bed of twigs and the like. I believe you mentioned you would be 'getting used to this'?"

"Frederick?" Lissa said, glaring at male Robin as he laughed. "Sometimes I hate you."

"No mercy from Frederick the Wary!" Male Robin said. "He's stern as they come."

"Stern is one word for it," Lissa said with her arms crossed. "I can think of a few others…"

"Frederick only smiles when he's about to bring down the axe," Chrom said.

"So there is a time when he's able to have a genuine smile on his face?" male Robin asked. "I'd sooner believe pigs sprouting wings and flying!"

Frederick cleared his throat. "You do realize I _am_ still present?"

Chrom grinned at Frederick. "Oh, we realize."

"We just don't care," male Robin said.

"Come now, leave him alone you two," girl Robin said, though she had a trace of a smile on her face as well.

Frederick shook his head. "Milord remains as amusing as ever. Now then, shall we be going?"

"Alright, alright," Chrom conceded. "Ready to go, Robin 1 and Robin 2?"

"You're numbering us now?" male Robin asked. "We're not livestock, you know."

"He's trying his best, brother," female Robin said.

"Right, so I guess that won't work," Chrom said. "Ylisstol isn't far, we'll think of something on the way."

* * *

"Okay," Lissa said, exasperation in her voice. "How about we call you Mark and you Corrin?"

"I think I liked it better when you wanted to call me Robino," male Robin said.

"I don't think we should change our names entirely, Lissa," female Robin said.

"I mean after going by Robin for so long," the brother continued, "it would just be strange to walk into a room and suddenly hear someone say 'Oh hi, Mark!'"

"Gods, this is harder than I thought it would be," Lissa said. She stopped and looked around. "Hey, I knew it! It's already dark, just like I said it would be!"

Indeed, the half-moon had begun to rise in the sky. The songbirds chirping had been replaced with crickets and owls as the forest they were walking through became dark. Of course, owls and crickets weren't the only ones to come out in the night. There were also…

"Ech! Now the bugs have come out!" Lissa shouted in disgust, swiping at the air at random. "Noisy, disgusting bugs that buzz around and crawl all over and bite you when –"

"Stop!" female Robin shouted, visibly shaking. "Ahem…I mean, it does no one any good by complaining."

"But they're still every – Agh!" Lissa suddenly exclaimed, sticking her tongue out and desperately trying to get something off of it. "Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!"

"I guess that's one way to get the taste of brigand out of your mouth," male Robin said.

"Aw, come on now, Lissa," Chrom said with a grin. "Hardship builds character. Want to help me gather firewood?"

"Tpht! Tpht!" Lissa spat. "Yeeeeuck! I think I swallowed it. I'll pass on finding firewood, thanks. I think I've built QUITE enough character for one day!"

"Chrom, if I may," female Robin interjected, "perhaps we should camp somewhere in the wood that is less dense? That way there will be fewer bugs to…bother us." She shuddered at that last thought.

"Aw, what's wrong Sis?" male Robin asked, a mischievous grin on his face. "Are you afraid of a little insect?"

"O-of course I'm not," his sister retorted. "That would be silly! Insects are many times smaller than humans, they pose very little threat to ones armed such as we – EEEEEE! THERE'S A BIG ONE CRAWLING ON MY HEAD!"

 _Smack!_

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Robin asked, nursing his arm.

"It's your fault for provoking me like that!" his sister shouted. "What would possess you to crawl your hand along the top of my head?"

"I was just trying to have some fun," male Robin said.

"Does this face look amused to you?!" said girl Robin. Her face had turned red with fury and embarrassment and she was fixing her brother with an unwavering dark stare.

"Uh…" For once, male Robin was speechless. He desperately looked between the other three Shepherds for help only to find Lissa smiling sweetly, Chrom's bemused grin, and Frederick…well, he looked the same as usual. Just as he was about to say something, his stomach began to growl. "L-let's focus on finding something more substantial to eat than bugs, yes?"

Female Robin took a deep breath. "Very well. I must admit I am starving as well."

"Yes, I should think a little hunting and gathering is in order," Frederick said, tethering Strider to a nearby tree. "Now, who wants to clear a campsite?"

* * *

Everyone was gathered around the fire some time later, still dressed in their battle gear for two reasons: first, none of them had a change of clothes and second, bandits were still fresh on everyone's mind.

Chrom swallowed another bite of the tough food they had scrounged up. "Mmm," he hummed in delight. "It's been too long since I last had bear meat. Delicious!"

Lissa regarded the slab of food in her hand the same way one might look at a sock that hadn't been washed in days. Chrom took notice of this and frowned. "What's wrong, Lissa? Dig in."

"Pass!" Lissa shouted. "Gods, couldn't you spear us an animal normal people eat for once?" She moved to throw it on the ground, but realized that might be wasteful and stopped herself. "I mean come on! Who eats bear?! You're meddling with the food chain. Right, Robins?"

Neither of the amnesiac siblings could reply, as they were swiftly demolishing their dinner as if they hadn't eaten a day in their lives. Male Robin cleaned up his portion and threw the leftover bones into the fire. He noticed Lissa still holding her food at arm's length and reached out for it.

"Are you going to eat that?" he asked. Lissa sighed and handed over her dinner. Robin began gleefully devouring his seconds.

"I suppose a person would enjoy just about anything after not eating for days," Lissa said, dejected.

"Just eat it, Lissa," Chrom said, handing her another piece. "Meat is meat, after all."

Lissa hesitantly took the meat and bit into it. Then she recoiled in horror. "Since when does meat smell like old boots?!" she shouted. "Wait, I take that back – boots smell better!"

Frederick gave Lissa another patient smile. "Every experience makes us stronger, milady. Even those we don't enjoy."

"Really?" asked Lissa with one eyebrow raised. "Then why don't I see _you_ eating, Frederick?"

Surprisingly, Frederick's stoic personality faltered for a moment. "Me? Oh, well…" he paused as he tried to think of a good excuse. "I'm not hungry. I…I had a large lunch! Yes, quite."

"In that case, I'll be taking your portions, then," female Robin said as she took Frederick's bear meat from out of his hand and got to work.

Lissa shook her head, clearly not buying Frederick's shoddy excuses. Then she suddenly looked up. "Hey, Robin!"

"Yes?" the two of them said in unison.

"I just thought of another idea for what to call you two!" Lissa said. "I just realized I was thinking too hard on it when I should've been thinking of something simpler this entire time. How about this…" she pointed at male Robin. "You will be Robin M." She pointed at the other one. "And you'll be Robin F!"

The two of them considered this for a moment.

"Short for male and female, no doubt," Robin M said. "Not exactly original, but I suppose it's the best we'll get."

"I like it, Lissa," Robin F said with a smile. "Thank you."

"You have bear meat stuck all over your teeth," Robin M pointed out.

"Oh, do I?" Robin F asked, licking at the stray scraps. "Perhaps I was just saving it for later?"

Everyone laughed…except for Frederick, of course, who merely smiled.

* * *

Chrom suddenly sat up and was greeted by the forms of his sleeping comrades still in their bedrolls as well as the smoldering remains of the fire. He looked up at the night sky, the clouds obscuring most of the stars.

He wasn't sure what was compelling him to rise, but the fact was that he had and he wouldn't be getting back to sleep any time soon. Sighing, he removed himself from his bedroll and stood up.

"What's wrong, Big Brother?" Chrom turned to see a yawning Lissa, also sitting up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Chrom whispered as Lissa stood up. "But…something is amiss."

"Define 'something,'" Lissa said.

Chrom looked back up at the sky. "I'm not sure. I think I'll have a look around."

Lissa scrambled to pick up her staff from where it laid next to her bedroll. "Not alone, you won't! I'm coming too."

Chrom smiled at his sister as he strapped Falchion to his waist. "Thanks, Lissa."

* * *

They had wandered far from camp and were looking around warily.

"It sure is dark," Lissa said. "And quiet. Where did the birds and crickets go?"

Chrom looked up at the sky. The clouds had moved over the moon, covering them in darkness. Just as Lissa had said, there was no wildlife, nocturnal or otherwise, making any noise. It felt like the calm before the storm.

"Something is wrong here," Chrom said, his voice instinctually lowering in the imposing darkness.

Lissa seemed like she would say something when the very earth itself began to rumble.

"Aaah! Chrom!" Lissa shouted, desperately clinging to her brother for balance.

"Gods, what?" Chrom said, before the rumbling suddenly intensified. "Agh! What is this madness?!" He turned around and began to walk back the way they came. "Lissa, stay close!"

He stopped when he saw that trees were beginning to fall down from the earth's shaking. There were cracks in the ground continuing to spread in their direction.

"Lissa, run," Chrom said.

Lissa looked up in confusion. He had just told her to stay close and now she had to run?

"I mean it, go!" Chrom shouted, pushing her to get her to move. They both began running from the cracking earth.

A portion of the ground behind them began to rise and Chrom felt a sudden wave of stifling heat. He looked back and saw a massive burst of lava rising from the chasm along with flaming rocks falling all around them. He turned and ran to catch up with Lissa. The way back was off limits, so they'd have to prioritize getting out of the forest as quickly as possible. He only hoped Robin and Frederick had noticed the chaos in time to escape.

"This way!" Chrom called to his sister, taking a hard left. Lissa, breathless, could only follow behind him. All around, the forest was being set ablaze by the molten mayhem. Chrom kept looking ahead, knowing that Lissa was still close behind. He saw that the portion of land they were standing on had risen up as well, but the drop wasn't too far to be dangerous.

"Lissa, don't hesitate! Just jump!" he called as he took his own advice. Once he landed, he looked up to see Lissa falling close behind him, screaming all the way. He caught her and placed her gently on the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Lissa nodded and they continued running.

* * *

When the earth rumbled the first time, it merely stirred Robin in his sleep.

"Time to tip…your waitresses…" he mumbled.

When the quake intensified, he rolled over and sat up.

"What the hell?!" he shouted. He looked up to see something he was definitely not expecting.

"GUYS WAKE UP!" he shouted in a panic. "THE FOREST IS –"

"On fire," Frederick said as he untethered a skittish Strider from the tree. "I am well aware."

Robin turned around to see Frederick, stoic as ever. "Does _anything_ ever phase you?"

Frederick looked around and gasped, his eyes widening. "Where are Chrom and Lissa?"

Robin turned to see two empty bedrolls. Then he realized something and looked down.

"It's not just them that's gone," he said, staring at the third empty bedroll next to him.

He looked around and shouted out. "Robin!" he called. "Rob –" He was cut off again, this time by a massive explosion somewhere to the right.

"Staying here will only get us killed," Frederick said, now atop his horse. "We need to get moving and find Chrom and Lissa."

"And what about my sister?" Robin asked. "Are we to leave her to burn alive?"

"We'll find them all!" Frederick said, his composure suddenly gone. "But my charges take first priority, understand?!" Without waiting to hear Robin's reply, Frederick spurred his horse into the woods. Growling in frustration, Robin chased after the Wary Knight.

* * *

Lissa and Chrom stopped to catch their breath in a large clearing. The flames had thankfully yet to reach this part of the forest, allowing the two a moment of rest.

Lissa raised her head up to ask Chrom what they would do next, but all thoughts of that were cut off when she saw…

"Chrom, what is that?!" Lissa shouted, pointing at a point in the sky. Chrom looked and saw it.

Suspended high in the air a short distance away from them was a shimmering light, growing more and more by the second. Then, just as it seemed the light would rival the sun itself, it exploded and filled the smoking night sky for an instant. When the light cleared, there was what appeared to be a massive eye made of crystal, suspended by a large magic circle.

It seemed to stare right through Chrom and Lissa for a long time. The thing seemed so…otherworldly. Like it shouldn't exist there.

Then the silence was broken as two humanoid forms began to seep through the eye. They moaned in pain as they slowly fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Chrom took out Falchion and pointed it at the trees while Lissa took her staff off of her back with shaking hands. "Lissa, you better stand back," Chrom advised her. She offered no reply, merely trembling as she saw the two silhouettes march forward.

Two pairs of glowing red dots broke through the trees. They were the humanoid figures' eyes: black and empty with red pupils. The creatures wore tattered clothes covered in suspicious dark stains. Their skin was a patchwork of different pieces, as if some sadistic craftsman had stitched them together from whatever rotting pieces he had lying around. They had no mouths, only an empty black tear on their faces where one should have been.

The creatures moaned as they shambled towards the Shepherds. Then one of them began charging, a rusted axe in its hand. Chrom ran to meet the thing's charge. He slid under the creature's attack and sliced through its abdomen with ease.

When his enemy did not fall, Chrom turned to see purple smoke billowing from the creature's wound. It turned its head completely around to look at Chrom, accompanied by horrid snapping noises. It turned the rest of its body as it cried out, swiping at the warrior again. It had no finesse, just pure desire to kill.

Chrom blocked the axe and struggled, surprised by the creature's massive reserves of strength. He pushed the beast back with a shout and was rewarded when the thing collapsed to the ground face first. Before it could have a chance to get up, Chrom leapt through the air and brought Falchion through the creature's back. With one last moan, the creature's entire body began to dissolve into smoke.

Chrom breathed heavily, surprised at how much he had exerted himself. These things weren't skilled warriors, but they had plenty of raw power to make up for that. One false move and these things could –

Chrom looked up upon hearing a familiar scream. "Lissa!" he shouted.

The cleric had been backed up against a tree, the second undead warrior slowly raising its axe to strike her. Chrom tore Falchion from the ground, but realized that he would be far too late to save her.

Lissa was paralyzed in fear, holding her staff like an ineffective shield. These horrible things…they were unnatural! She didn't know what they were but some primal instinct within told her that this abomination did not belong in this or any world. Even though her mind was screaming to run, she found her feet felt like two blocks of lead.

The beast screamed again as it brought the axe down. Lissa squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the splitting pain.

There was a sound of clanging metal.

After several seconds of no pain, Lissa hesitantly opened her eyes. She gasped at what she saw.

A man with short blue hair wearing a mask had blocked the beast's attack with his sword. He was clearly struggling to keep the monster's strength at bay. The stranger turned to the side and shouted "Help!"

Chrom, who had stopped moving at the sight of the newcomer, nodded his head. "Right," he said, resuming his charge one more. He yelled at the beast as he raised his sacred sword. The monster made a confused grunt as it looked in his direction. For only a moment it lessened the pressure on its axe, but that was all the stranger needed. He pushed back the monster's weapon and raised his own sword. The beast turned to look at him, unable to do anything as two threats closed in on it.

Two swords sliced through its body, creating a deep X-shaped wound. The beast moaned once more as it faded into smoke just as its comrade had.

Lissa looked at her brother, relieved that he was alive. Then she turned to her rescuer and looked at him more closely.

He was short, only a few inches taller than Lissa. His blue hair was the exact same shade as Chrom's, but perhaps a bit shorter. In fact, almost all of the stranger's outfit was blue: blue cape, blue tunic, blue pants. Even his butterfly-shaped mask was blue.

Chrom paced around the newcomer, watching as he sheathed his sword. "Quite an entrance," he said. "What's your name?"

The man looked at Chrom over his shoulder, seemingly sizing him up. The two stood there for a moment, the tension thick enough to cut with a butter knife.

"Milord! Milady!" called a voice.

Chrom and Lissa looked up to see Frederick riding up to them, Robin M running in close behind.

"Frederick! Robin!" Lissa shouted, her eyes wide with terror but still filled with relief.

Robin stopped and began breathing heavily with his hands on his knees. "Frederick…I completely understand…the urgency of the situation," he said between gasps. "But please, _never abandon me in a burning forest ever again!_ "

Frederick ignored Robin and looked up. "Enemies approaching!"

They looked to see that more of those strange undead monsters were very slowly shambling forward. While some carried axes like their fallen comrades, others carried swords stained brown with rust, still others carried bows made of rotting wood. The weapons the monsters carried were just like their owners: decayed and broken. They were weapons that by all accounts should not be effective, yet Robin did not feel he wanted to test that.

"It's like the dead have risen from Hell itself!" Robin said, walking forward to stand next to Chrom with his Thunder tome in hand. "Do you have to deal with these things often in this country?"

"They're not from Ylisse, I promise you that," Chrom said.

Frederick sighed with relief. "It appears no one is injured, thank the gods."

"Thank the masked man who saved me!" Lissa said from next to him. "If it wasn't for him I'd be –"

She pointed at where the man was standing last, only to find empty air. "Hey, where did he go?"

"We can worry about him later," Frederick said, raising his lance. "After we put these…things to the blade."

"Excellent, one more lost one to keep track of," Robin said.

"What do you mean?" Chrom asked.

"My sister has gone missing again," Robin said. "She probably saw you were gone and went looking for you."

Chrom felt sweat trickling down his head. "You have to trust that she can take care of herself, Robin," he said grimly. "Right now, we need a plan of action."

Robin was about to retort, but realized the captain was right. Arguments would do them no good, especially since the enemy was getting closer and closer by the second.

He surveyed the large clearing around them. Many of the trees were still alive, a few clumped together at a time. The rest was grass and dirt with barely anywhere for cover. Then Robin noticed something else.

"Is that a…?" he pointed at the stone structure in the distance, beyond a few of the undead beasts.

"An abandoned fort," Frederick said. "This place was once home to a military stronghold decades ago."

"Then our best bet is to take cover in those forts," Robin said.

"Those things are ancient," Frederick pointed out.

"If they survived all this shaking and exploding, I think they can withstand a few hits from a corpse with an axe," Robin said. "We'll have to cut through a few of them to get to the fort."

"Robin, Frederick!" Chrom said. "These things are resilient. Aim for the kill at all costs. Let's move!"

* * *

"Chrom!" Robin called, stumbling as her feet nearly gave out from the rumbling. "Lissa!"

Even if the flames were mostly contained in the northwest part of the forest due to the vastly altered landscape, the earthquakes had refused to stop.

"Why is it that all hell breaks loose the moment those two disappear?" Robin said with exasperation. "This is really inconvenient…"

She stopped moving, looking around to get her bearings. The landscape had changed such that the way back to camp had been replaced by a sheer rock cliff with a river of lava at its base.

"Chrom! Lissa!" Robin called. "Would someone _please_ answer me?!"

Indeed, a deep moaning to her right caught her attention just as she said those words. She snapped her head in that direction, her hand instinctively reaching into her cloak for her Wind tome.

"I just had to tempt fate, didn't I?" she asked herself.

An undead warrior shambled through the trees, its eyes set on her and smoke flowing from its mouth.

"W-what in blazes is that?" Robin asked. Even if she had all her memories, she was pretty confident she would still never have seen anything like this thing before.

The creature screamed into the night and charged with its sword raised. Robin gave out a defiant yell as she channeled her magic through her hand. A gust of wind flowed through her and tossed the enemy against a tree with a mighty _thud_! The beast slowly raised its head in a series of small jerky movements.

"No effect?" Robin asked. No, if she looked closely, there were several shallow cuts in the undead's skin where her magic had torn through. Unimpeded by its injuries, the monster charged again, this time going for a thrust. Opting for a more direct approach, Robin closed her tome and drew her sword. In one fluid motion, she sidestepped the creature's attack and relieved it of its head. Its remains disappeared in a puff of smoke almost instantly.

"Just what was that thing?" Robin asked herself. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was a corpse given new life. How is such a thing possible?"

Her thoughts were cut off by more moaning all around her. More beasts – four in all – were marching forward, completely surrounding her.

"Damn," Robin said. "Dealing with one of them was stressful enough." The four monsters began circling her, gauging their chances with what little brains they had. Robin was confident that even a newborn babe could outthink these things, but even she couldn't find any way out of this without serious injury.

One of them began to lurch forward as if to charge when everyone froze. A horse's whinny sounded out from far away and all turned to look down the path. Robin couldn't make out many details from this distance in the uncertain light, but she could see that this warrior was at least fully alive. A great galloping began as the mounted warrior charged with lance pointed at the nearest monster. The beast snarled and began a charge of its own with no regard for its own "life." The result was predictable: the monster's body was flung across the clearing and dissipated before it even hit the ground.

The newcomer brought her horse to a stop next to Robin. She wore light armor, painted red to match her short spiky hair. Her horse was similarly lightly armored, and it was clear to the tactician that this woman emphasized mobility and reach over defense, completely unlike Frederick.

The woman's face was tough and masculine, though not unkind. She nodded at Robin. "Alright there, lady?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Robin said. She turned to face the three monsters remaining, who were all much more hesitant now that the odds weren't as heavily stacked in their favor.

"What the hell are these things?" the newcomer asked, regarding the undead with the same distaste Robin had.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Robin replied. "They suddenly appeared right as the forest was set ablaze."

"Something tells me that's not a coincidence," her new companion said. "The name's Sully, by the way."

"I'm Robin," the tactician said. "But we've got bigger things to worry about. I'll take this one here, can you handle the other two?"

"Come on, how come I get two?" Sully said, though her tone was only half serious. "Trust me, I can handle them."

"Then let's go!" Robin shouted, running at her opponent with sword in hand.

The monster snarled and threw its axe down, which Robin dodged with ease. In an instant, the monster swiped at Robin from the side. Quickly she brought her sword up and barely managed to block it, though the blade was nearly knocked out of her hands in the process. The monster used another overhead swing. Robin backstepped against a tree, the axe passing inches away from her. With nowhere else to go, she ducked under the next side slash. The axe embedded in the tree with a solid impact. The undead warrior grunted as it attempted to pull it from the tree, but it could only stand there helplessly as Robin's sword was pushed through its chest.

"Checkmate," Robin said triumphantly as the monster dissolved.

While Robin was busy with her opponent, Sully turned to her two enemies. "Alright, you ash-faced freaks," she said, "Which one of ya wants to try my lance on for size first?"

The one on the left raised its lance and tried a jab, but Sully had already galloped away. Once she was a great distance away, she turned around and pointed her lance at the challenger. "I know just the spot for it," she said, "shoved right up your –"

She was cut off when the monster cried out in pain. Sully blinked as she realized there was an arrow embedded in its chest, right where its heart would be. The last remaining beast had a few seconds to process its comrades' demise before Sully's lance was embedded in its stomach.

Sully turned her horse around to see that Robin was just fine. "You've got some fight in you, I'll give you that much," Sully said.

"And you're quite handy with that lance," Robin complimented back.

"Hold, milady!" called out a new voice.

The two turned to see a man jump down from one of the trees. As he straightened, they could see he was of average build. His gray hair fell to his shoulders in a neat and orderly fashion. He had sharp features and a confident, youthful smile. He wore a fancy suit complete with cravat securely tucked in his shirt. Over that he wore shoulder armor as his only form of defense. He was clearly a man who preferred keeping his distance from the enemy. The bow in his hand and the quiver on his back were proof enough that he was the archer that felled the second undead warrior.

"Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting!" The man said with a distinct accent dripping with ego. He made dramatic, sweeping hand movements as he spoke. "Would you fine ladies leave me in your sweet dust?"

"…Excuse me?" Robin asked.

"Leave war to the warriors, dears!" the archer continued. "Beauties such as yourselves need wage only love."

They stood there in awkward silence for a while. Finally and unsurprisingly, it was Sully who broke the silence. "The hell are you?!"

The man bowed deeply to the cavalier. "Ha! Is the lady intrigued? Of course you are, it's only natural. I am he who strides large across history's greatest siege, the man who puts the 'arch' in 'archer!' My name, dear ladies, is Vi –"

"Pardon me for interrupting your…whatever it is you are doing," Robin said, "but have either of you seen a man with blue hair and a girl carrying a staff wandering this forest?"

"Virion!" the archer said, his smile turning to an exasperated frown. "My name…it's Virion."

"You know Chrom and Lissa?" Sully asked. "So they're here too. Damn, I knew I shouldn't have left them. Come on, I know a place they might be hiding out."

"You've been in this forest before?" Robin inquired, beginning to walk away with her new companion.

"I've had to march through here once or twice," Sully replied. "I'm one of the Shepherds too, you know."

"W-wait!" Virion said, running to catch up to them. "Pray, at least tell me your names!"

"I'm Sully," the cavalier replied, not even looking at the archer as she sped her horse up to a trot. The others kept close to her as they spoke.

"My name is Robin," the tactician said.

"Ah, Sully and Robin," Virion said, seamlessly transitioning back to his flirtations. "The first a starkly beautiful name, as befits its owner. The second a songbird whose tune is as sweet as the beauty of the lady who holds it." He looked between the two and decided that Robin seemed the more approachable one. He held his hand out to her. "Will you marry me, my dearest Robin?"

"I'm truly…flattered," she replied, her expression carefully neutral. "But I'm afraid I have no interest in romantic pursuits at the moment."

"Ah, such a shame that is," Virion said. "Any man would be humbled to be the object of your affections, myself included." He then turned to Sully. "And you, dearest Sully? Would you accept my proposal for your hand in marriage?"

She glared at him for a long time, though the archer's gaze never wavered. "Oh, I get it," she finally said. "This is a joke. And when I put my boot in your face –" Virion flinched when Sully's foot swung lightly in his direction. "– that's the punch line."

"But if you were using your foot, would it not be a kick line?" Robin asked before she could stop herself. "I…apologize, I sounded too much like my brother for a moment."

"You have a point, though," Sully said, a mischievous grin on her face. "This guy looks just the right shape for a training dummy."

"I realize my manly figure and noble bearing can be overwhelming," Virion said, desperately trying to salvage _something_ from this ordeal. "So please, don't feel pressured to answer right a –"

"Look down there!" Sully shouted, pointing her lance down the hill they were walking.

Robin looked and saw the clearing Sully spoke of. Just beyond another line of trees, the forest opened to a vast plain filled with dilapidated forts and a small army of the undead soldiers. And approaching the fort nearest their group…

"I see them!" Robin shouted, pointing at the four individuals just visible cutting through the monsters' ranks.

"Hop on, we have to help!" Sully shouted, hoisting Robin up onto her horse. "Hold on tight, cause this road will be a bumpy ride even on old Diane here." With that, they began galloping towards the battlefield and their comrades.

"Dear me," Virion said as he began to sprint after them. "I am beginning to think I would have better chances in Rosanne."

* * *

Chrom's group was having more difficulty than they had expected.

The undead soldiers didn't behave like any living thing. They pursued their enemy with no regard for anything else around them. Even when they were wounded they never seemed to notice, not even impeded by pain. It was for this reason that the team had only made it halfway to the fort by this point.

"Damn it all!" Chrom shouted, extracting Falchion from yet another of the monsters. "These things are relentless. No matter how many we cut down they continue advancing. They have no regard for their own lives!"

"Justified," Robin said, blasting another with lightning. "They'd need a life to begin with before they could fear losing it."

"Word play is getting us no closer to that fort!" Frederick said, impaling another on his lance. "We need backup!"

"Get back!" Lissa shouted, swinging her staff around randomly and only occasionally whacking enemies in the process. "I'm warning you, this could get unpleasant!"

"Coming through!" called a voice familiar to Chrom.

"Is that…?" He to see Sully riding towards them, lance raised. A few undead took notice as well, approaching the cavalier. They were rewarded for their efforts by either a lance to the chest or a kick to the face.

"Many thanks, Sully!" Chrom said, locking swords with another monster.

"Get to the fort!" Sully called, breaking through the undead ranks for another pass. "We'll keep them occupied for now!"

"We?" Robin asked. Then he took notice of the second individual mounted on the horse, pushing back any that got too close with her Wind magic. "Sis!"

"We'll be right behind you, brother!" Robin F called. "Get to safety!"

"I can't just leave you here!" Robin M protested.

"Robin, remember what I told you earlier," Chrom said. "You have to trust that she can take care of herself."

Robin opened his mouth to protest again, but all that came out was a sigh of defeat. "Fine. Let's go!"

Another snarl alerted him to another approaching monster, but his sister's wind magic quickly blew it out of the way. If only for a moment, there was now a clear path to the fort. Robin M ran for it, hesitating only to turn and see Chrom running behind and Lissa clinging to Frederick as he rode after them.

The monsters made a move to follow their prey, but hesitated when a new challenger dropped down in front of them from her ally's horse.

Robin F turned her cold gaze upon the soldiers. "If any of you harm a hair on my brother's head," she said, her tome in one hand and her sword in the other, "then I will give you your final death!"

The monsters were undeterred by the tactician's challenge and redirected their charge to meet her. With a sweep of her hand Robin F blasted the leading soldier off its feet, the wind tearing into its skin through sheer force. Almost immediately, a second beast replaced its comrade, getting too close for Robin to easily react with her magic. Of course, that's why she always carried her sword. She sidestepped the beast's axe and slashed across its chest. She coughed as more of that peculiar smoke poured out of the creature's wound and into her airstream. Thus, she was left unprepared for a third monster's charge. Just as the beast was about to impale her on its lance, it was thrown to the ground, an arrow embedded deep in its side.

Robin looked up as Virion came running over. "Are you unharmed, my lady?" he asked.

"I'll live," she said. "The smoke just made me dizzy for a bit, that's all."

"Ah, thank the gods," Virion said, his confident smile returning. "Had you been gravely wounded, I would never have forgiven my –" There was another snarl and they turned to see another monster with its sword drawn. Before it could strike, a blade tore through its chest from behind. As it dissolved, Robin saw her rescuer: a short man in blue wearing a mask over his eyes.

Robin tilted her head. She could feel the stranger's judgmental gaze on her even with the mask. Was this person a part of her life before her memories left her?

"Pay attention, will ya Ruffles?" Sully shouted, snapping the tactician out of her thoughts. "We need to fall back, the others are safe!"

Robin turned and saw that what Sully said was true. She could see her brother at the massive double doors leading into the fort, beckoning to them frantically. Thanks to their efforts, the undead population had considerably thinned out and they had a much easier time getting to the fort than Chrom's group. Virion and Robin immediately began their retreat.

Robin turned and saw the stranger was following them running at them at full sprint. But Robin also saw that the undead soldiers were regrouping and were chasing after the stranger. Quickly, Robin swept her hand forward, making a wide gust of wind that halted the stranger's pursuers in their tracks.

"Get in already!" Robin M called from the fort's gates. Robin F followed Sully and Virion inside, the stranger not far behind.

"Now!" shouted Robin M. Frederick, who was standing at the other door, began pushing his end of the gate closed. Robin M struggling against his side, Robin F quickly joined him and heaved against the gate with her entire body. Judging by how loud the snarling was getting outside, they had managed to escape just in time. The gates shut with a loud thud, and Frederick drew the wooden plank across the doors to ensure they could not be opened.

Robin M sighed and slid to the ground with his back to the gate. "Sis," he said, gasping for breath, "never go wandering into the woods in the dead of night _ever again_."

"Trust me, I've learned my lesson," Robin F replied, sitting down next to her brother.

"Is everyone alright?" Chrom asked the assembled warriors.

"Right as rain, captain," Sully said, dismounting from her horse.

"We're fine, thanks to that gentleman over there," Robin said, pointing to the masked stranger. He was standing in a dark corner, clearly trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Which was difficult when wearing a very conspicuous butterfly-shaped mask.

"Oh, it's you again!" Lissa said, gasping in shock. "Do you make a habit of rescuing people from scary monsters?"

The masked stranger regarded Lissa, then suddenly grunted in pain, clutching his side. His hand came away painted with blood.

"You're hurt!" Lissa said, rushing over to stand next to him with staff in hand. "I'll help you."

Lissa raised her staff up to the stranger, surrounding him in a heavenly green glow.

"Um," Lissa said as the stranger's wound was closing. "I never got to thank you…for before. So thank you. You were very brave."

The stranger stared at Lissa through his mask, his expression unreadable. When the wound closed, he stood up and bowed to the Cleric.

"You saved my sister's life," Chrom said, walking up to the stranger with a smile.

"You saved _my_ sister as well," Robin M said, standing next to Chrom. "So for that…you have my eternal gratitude or whatever. There, I said it."

The masked man looked at Robin M for a moment before averting his gaze.

"Not much for conversation, are you?" Robin M asked. "You should be honored, I'm not really this nice to people all the time."

"My name is Chrom," he introduced, pushing Robin M away before he could embarrass himself even more. "Might I ask yours?"

There was a slight hesitation, then the stranger nodded. "You may call me Marth," he said.

Chrom's eyes widened. "Marth? After the heroic king of old?"

"The very same," replied Marth.

"You certainly fight like a hero," Chrom said. "Where did you learn to fight?"

Marth stared at Chrom. He seemed to do a lot of staring based on what Robin M had seen of him.

"I'm not here to talk about me," Marth finally replied. He walked away to a further section of the fort.

"My, my," Virion spoke up. "Were he only as proficient in speech as he is in swordplay, perhaps he wouldn't be so cold."

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere," Frederick agreed.

Chrom turned to the archer. "I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"My lord, you do me a great disservice!" Virion said with shock. "I am the Archest of Archers, the man of silver tongue and hair, the very picture of perf –"

"His name is Virion," Sully interrupted.

"…the pinnacle of sophistication, the – wait, I wasn't finished!" Virion said.

"He aided Sully and me in driving off those…things," Robin F said. "I can vouch for his skill."

Chrom nodded. "You have my gratitude for aiding my Shepherds in battle. Would you consider joining us?"

Virion put a hand up to his chin. "Well, that all depends," Virion said, turning to Robin F with a charming smile. "Are there any other birds as lovely as this in your army?"

Robin F tilted her head in confusion. Robin M whispered to her. "This guy's just a few bricks short of a load, isn't he?"

Chrom sighed. "I am sure there will be ample opportunity for you to acquaint yourself with the women in our group."

"Then it's settled!" Virion said, holding out his hand to Chrom. "I am yours to command!"

Chrom shook Virion's hand and turned to speak with Frederick. Robin F patted her brother on the shoulder and went to speak with Lissa. Sully was busy caring for her horse. Robin M realized too late what this meant.

"My friend," Virion said, "I do not believe we were properly introduced. I could not help but notice you are already acquainted with sweet Robin. Would you mind terribly if you put in a good word for me?"

"My name is Robin," the tactician said, giving Virion a glare that rivaled Frederick. "And I will be sure to tell my _sister_ just how impressive you think you are."

Virion suddenly began to sweat. "Today is just not my day…"

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, that wacky Virion. Big ego, little success.**

 **A couple things I neglected to mention last chapter:**

 **I don't know if any of the characters' mounts have canon names or not (besides Minerva, of course) so I just made them up. Feel free to tell me how silly and ridiculous these names are.**

 **Support Conversations will be happening, but I'll be reserving them for side chapters so as to not bog down the already massive main chapters (which will consist of the gameplay segments and most of the story cutscenes). I'll have to tweak some of them to better fit the Robins' personalities, so fair warning on that. Romance isn't exactly my strong suit, but I'll try my best. I already know who Chrom, the Robins, and "Marth" will be pairing up with, but do suggest ideas for other pairings at your leisure.**

 **So yeah, these "main" chapters will be a lot longer than I thought. I mean this chapter is almost 8,000 words excluding this A/N! Seriously, I did not mean to get it that long when I started writing, but that's how it ended up I guess. Regardless, I thank the people who reviewed for their encouraging words. Feel free to tell me how I can improve and whatnot.**


	4. Analogue 1: Preparations

It was many hours before the sounds of snarls and great impacts at the door would come to an end. No one dared fall asleep lest they be left helpless to the enemies' mercy. No one even _could_ fall asleep, for their adrenaline spiked with every pounding against the gate, their heart racing at every snarl heard from the undead warriors outside.

Chrom and Robin M were standing guard at the fort gate when the noises came to an abrupt stop. They each exchanged a surprised and suspicious glance. "Everyone get your weapons ready," Chrom called to the assembled Shepherds. "We don't know what's out there."

Everyone nodded and did as they were told, Frederick and Sully mounting their respective horses. Robin M removed the plank holding the doors shut and held on tight.

"Ready?" he asked.

Chrom nodded.

"One…two…three!" At Robin M's cue, they pulled the doors open.

What they found was an empty field and a forest covered in ash. What was once a vibrant green environment had been transformed into a gray wasteland with sheer cliffs and trees deprived of their foliage. The sky was slowly brightening with the rising sun.

Chrom hesitantly stepped outside, his boots crunching against the dry earth. "I don't understand," he said. "Where did they all go?"

"Perhaps they are lying in wait for an ambush?" Frederick asked.

"No," said Marth, walking up to the group. Everyone looked at him in surprise, for the masked swordsman hadn't appeared before them since taking refuge in the fort.

She turned to Chrom with the same unreadable expression as before. "The force controlling those creatures realized that they would not take your life on this night."

Chrom frowned at that. "What is this 'force' you speak of?"

Marth shook his head. "Even I do not fully understand it. All I can tell you is this: the world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned."

Lissa tilted her head and hummed in deep thought. "What's teetering where now?" she mumbled to herself. Then she looked up as she heard the crunching footsteps of the masked man. "Hey, wait! Where are you going?"

Marth stopped walking and turned his head. "I have business elsewhere. There are…others that I must seek out." This was the last thing he said before he walked away. They all watched him go as he disappeared into the line of blackened trees.

"Well," Robin M said, "I think I'm actually more confused than before he 'explained' what happened."

"He's not very proficient with words," Robin F agreed.

"His skill is impressive," Frederick said. "I wager we'll hear his name again." He looked towards the brightening horizon. "For now, I am more concerned about the capital. We should make haste."

As they began to head out, Chrom turned to Sully. "That reminds me," he said. "Sully, what were you doing here anyway?"

"When you didn't get back to Ylisstol in time, it got us all worried," she replied. "I was sent to check on you."

"We had a bit of a run in with bandits in Southtown," Chrom explained. "Not to mention we had to help reunite the Robins."

"Which you still have my eternal gratitude for, Chrom," Robin F said with a smile. "If you hadn't been there, I doubt my brother would have lasted as long as he did."

"Come on, Sis," Robin M replied. "Have a little faith in me, will you?"

Robin F shook her head. "When you start acting like an adult, perhaps I will."

* * *

The sun had completely risen by the time they had gotten to Ylisstol, and the people of the city were already up and about. Shops had opened on every street corner, everyone was milling about doing their daily tasks; it all seemed remarkably…normal. The people seemed rather upbeat considering the cavalcade of chaos that had occurred not a half day's travel to the west. Brick buildings lined every street and at the center of it all lay a mighty palace atop a sunny hill. Robin M had to admit, it was all rather picturesque and lovely.

Virion and Sully had left the group once they entered the city. Sully had claimed she was off to the training yard while Virion followed. He claimed he had nowhere else to be, but Robin M wondered if perhaps he had a strange obsession with being rejected by women who clearly didn't want him.

"Amazing," Robin F said, turning every which way to try and take in everything at once. "I've never seen so many people in one place!"

"Or you don't remember it," her brother pointed out, scrutinizing various trinkets on display at a shop. "Still, I guess anything would look vibrant after the hell we went through last night."

"It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered, thank the gods," Frederick said with perhaps the first genuine smile on his face Robin M had seen. "I see no evidence of the great quake. It must have been limited to the forest."

"Well, that's a relief," Lissa said, smiling at the knowledge she was finally home.

"Still, with a cataclysm that massive contained to such a specific area," Robin M said, peering closely at a strangely-shaped device in his hand, "I can't help but wonder if it was more of an _un_ natural disaster."

"You think someone caused that eruption?" Chrom asked.

"Or some _thing_ ," Robin M replied. "The creatures we saw may have been a _dead_ giveaway."

"Brother, that was bad even for you," Robin F said with a frown.

"Yes, I am aware," the male tactician replied.

"Hey, are you going to buy something already?" the red-haired merchant girl asked, eyeing Robin M with annoyance. "We don't exactly appreciate window shoppers around here."

"Tell me, what function does this talisman serve?" asked Robin M, holding up the trinket he had.

"It's been proven to ward off magical attacks of all kind!" the merchant said with a smile. "A fine investment for any of you good warriors!"

"And how do I know this isn't ceramic that you gave a fresh coat of paint?" Robin M asked.

The merchant's smile suddenly seemed a bit more forced. "Are you implying that my merchandise is subpar, good sir?"

"It looks very lovely!" Robin F suddenly interjected. "Brother, would you buy it for me?"

"I am not spending what little gold I have on –" He was cut off when he noticed the pleading expression on his sister's face, her eyes gleaming.

"How much," Robin M asked with exasperation.

"Normally I'd say 2500 G," replied the merchant. "But I'm feeling charitable today. 1000 will do fine!"

Robin M sighed. He placed a handful of coins on the table, trying to ignore how much lighter the pockets of his coat felt. The merchant took a moment and counted every one of the coins meticulously before nodding. "A pleasure doing business with you!"

"Whatever you say," Robin M said. He handed his sister the talisman and was a bit less annoyed after seeing her grateful smile.

"Honestly, sometimes I have a hard time telling which of you is the elder sibling," Frederick said.

"I know exactly what you mean," Robin M replied, watching his sister figure out where to place the trinket on her coat.

"Thunderation!" cried out one of the townsfolk. "The exalt has come to see us!"

Everyone's heads suddenly snapped up at the commotion. They saw it: a parade of people marching through the streets. Leading them all was a woman who looked a bit older than Chrom, dressed in simple green robes and with a strange circular headdress that reminded Robin M of a halo. She was waving to the people with a kind smile. Flanking her were armored women riding on winged horses: pegasus knights.

"The ruler of Ylisse, I presume?" Robin M asked.

"Yes," Frederick confirmed with a reverent tone. "Her name is Lady Emmeryn."

"First name Lady, last name Emmeryn?" Robin M asked. When no one laughed (unsurprisingly), he continued as if nothing was said. "Is it safe for her to walk among us common folk?"

"If a ruler can't trust their own people," Robin F said, "who can they trust?"

"The exalt is a symbol of peace – Ylisse's most prized quality," Frederick continued. "Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon tried to destroy the world. But the first exalt joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the beast low. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then."

"With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her," Chrom said, his eyes fixed on the exalt as she passed them by. "She's a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war."

"The people of Ylisse are very lucky to have her," Robin F said.

"I can see why she is so well-loved," Robin M agreed.

"She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!" Lissa said, cheerful at the sight of Emmeryn.

"Well, with someone who loves peace that much, I'd figure…" Robin M trailed off when he took in the full meaning of those words.

"She's your sister?" Robin F asked with surprise.

"But that would make you and Chrom…" Robin M was beginning to sweat.

"The prince and princess of the realm, yes," Frederick said with a disarming smile. "You remember Chrom's name and not this?"

"Oh gods," Robin F said, her hands covering her mouth.

"This whole time," Robin M said, hands running through his hair, "I've been rude and snarky to…to…" He bowed so quickly the others were surprised his head didn't fall off. "Please forgive me your Lordness – I mean your Majestyship – I mean…" He straightened up and paused to collect his words. "Ahem…my apologies, Lord Prince Chrom sire."

"Just Chrom is fine," the prince said, grinning slightly at the tactician's embarrassment and redundancy. "Truthfully, I've never been one for formalities."

"Oh, thank the gods," Robin M said. "If I had to remind myself to be polite around you all the time, I might explode."

"We camped out with the prince and princess of Ylisse!" Robin F shouted excitedly. "I feel so honored!"

"Yesterday morning, you didn't even know what Ylisse _was,_ " her brother pointed out.

"But it's still remarkable, isn't it?" she said. "We fought alongside _royalty_! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and we got to experience it!"

"Now you've done it," Robin M said. "She'll be up all night talking to herself about how lucky she is."

"The prince and princess of Ylisse," Robin F repeated with just as much awe as before. "This explains why Frederick tolerates all the teasing," Robin F said.

"Indeed," Frederick said with a sigh. "Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm."

"It looks like Emm is returning to the palace. Would you like to meet her?" Chrom offered.

"Would I ever!" Robin F said, taking her brother's arm and dragging them off to the palace. "We get to meet the entire royal family…this is so exciting!"

"Ow!" Robin M cried out. "Can you think of a less _painful_ way of expressing your excitement please?"

* * *

The entrance hall to the castle was just as extravagant as Robin F imagined. A long red carpet, ornate green banners, tall pillars holding up a marvelous ceiling. The entire place was beautiful.

"Please, Sis," Robin M said from next to her. "It wouldn't do for the exalt's first impression of you to be of an easily excitable girl who can't control herself in the presence of celebrities. Also, I think my arm might break if you squeeze it any tighter."

"S-sorry," Robin F said, loosening her grip and taking deep breaths as they followed the Shepherds to the end of the hall. "It's just…think about it! Most people never get to experience what we're doing right now; meeting the ruler of the halidom and her family…the idea just makes me so happy!"

"Well perhaps you should keep that happiness to yourself," Robin M said, "considering she's standing right there."

Robin F suddenly stood stiffly as she realized her brother was right. They had made it to the end of the entrance hall and Exalt Emmeryn herself was standing right there. Next to her stood a stern-faced woman in armor with her silver hair tied in a bun behind her head.

"Chrom! Lissa!" Emmeryn said with a gentle voice. "Welcome home. Oh, and good day, Frederick. How fared you all?"

"Well, we shouldn't have any bandit problems for a while," Chrom said.

"Wonderful," the exalt said. "And our people?"

"Safe as they can be, Emm," Chrom said.

Robin F noticed that it was this, the news of her people's safety, and not the news of the bandits being dealt with that made the exalt sigh with relief.

"But we still need to watch the borders," Chrom continued. "The brigands crossed over from Plegia."

"Forgive me, milord," the woman next to Emmeryn replied. "My pegasus knights should have intercepted them."

"No, Phila," reassured Chrom, "your duty was here, with the exalt."

"And besides, we had plenty of help!" Lissa said, grinning at the tacticians. Robin F stiffened even more now that the exalt's attention was on them.

"Ah, you speak of your new companions here?" Emmeryn asked.

"Helloitisanhonortomeetyouyourexaltedness!" Robin F blurted out. Everyone stared at this sudden outburst. Robin F responded by blushing profusely and pulling her hood over her face.

"Forgive her, she's a bit…starstruck," Robin M replied, lifting off his sister's hood. She began to intensely stare at the ground. "My name is Robin M and the articulate one here is my sister, Robin F."

"You are both called Robin?" Emmeryn asked.

"Yes, I'm sure if I could remember them I would describe my parents as quite eccentric, milady," Robin M replied.

"They fought bravely against the brigands, Emm," Chrom said. "I have decided to make them Shepherds."

Emmeryn smiled at the tactician twins. "It sounds as though Ylisse owes you both a debt of gratitude."

"Truthfully, it is us who owe your siblings a great debt," Robin M replied. "Had it not been for them and Frederick, we would not have the honor of speaking with you today."

Frederick stepped forward. "Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak." He glanced briefly at the Robins before continuing. "The two Robins claim to have lost their memory, but it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that they are brigands themselves or even Plegian spies."

"Frederick!" Chrom protested.

 _Some spies we are_ , Robin M thought. _A man who throws magic tomes at his enemies because he doesn't remember how to use them and his sister: a woman who is reduced to a stuttering mess in the presence of royalty._

"Yet you allowed them into the castle, Chrom," Emmeryn said. "Do these people have your trust?"

"Yes," Chrom answered without hesitation. "They risked their lives for our people. That's good enough for me."

Emmeryn turned and smiled to the tacticians. "It seems you've earned Chrom's faith, and as such you have mine as well."

Robin M nodded in respect, quickly followed by his sister. "Milady."

"But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence, as always," Emmeryn said. "Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time…"

"They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace," Frederick replied. Chrom scratched his neck and Lissa puffed her cheeks out, but other than that the exalt's siblings gave no reply.

"Phila," Frederick said, "I assume you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?"

"Yes, milord," Phila replied. "They've been sighted all across Ylisse."

"Chrom, we are about to hold council. I was hoping you could join us," said Emmeryn.

"Of course," Chrom said. At this, he followed his sister and Phila out of the room.

"That's our cue, Robin and Robin!" Lissa said, taking their arms. "C'mon, there's a place I really want to show you!" She ran out of the castle, dragging the tacticians along with her.

"Hey, slow down, will you?" Robin M cried out. His protests quickly died out as the three of them left. Frederick stared at them for a time before following Chrom into the council room.

* * *

"Here we are: the Shepherds' garrison!" Lissa declared.

Robin M looked around. There were crates, barrels, and large sacks piled up in various places throughout the room. Various papers were scattered on the ground and across a long table. Equipment of all kinds could be seen in easily reached locations and a door led to the training yard.

"Go on, make yourself at home," Lissa said.

"It's not much," Robin M said, stepping inside, "but I could get used to this."

"It certainly looks lived-in," his sister said, following him.

"Lissa, my treasure!" a high-pitched voice called out. The Robins turned and saw that they were not alone in the room. Robin M noticed three others watching them. The woman who spoke was currently running up to Lissa. She was dressed in a silky pink and white shirt and pants with knee-high riding boots. Her blonde hair fell to her back in long curls and the image was completed with a parasol in one hand.

The woman threw her arms around Lissa, who returned the hug with a grin. "Are you all right?" the woman asked when they separated. "I've been on pins and needles!"

"Hi, Maribelle," Lissa replied.

"'Hi' yourself!" Maribelle said indignantly. "I've sprouted 14 gray hairs fretting over you!"

"She counted them all individually?" Robin M quietly asked his sister. She shrugged.

"Aw, you worry too much. I can handle a battle or two!" Lissa reassured her friend. "Although I could do without the bugs and the bear barbecue…"

"What are you talking about? That was the best part," Robin M said. "Enjoying the lovely pungent aroma of the bear, laughing at Sis's face when a cricket hopped in front of her. Wasn't that last part just so much –"

"Before you continue," Robin F interrupted, "I'd like you to carefully consider if you'll be needing any of your fingers in the near future."

Her brother wisely shut up.

"Hey, squirt!" greeted a man as he walked up to them with a cocky smile. "Where's Chrom? I bet he had a rough time out there without ol' Teach and his trusty axe!" The man was tall with short blond hair swept behind his head. His muscles were on full display on the count of his lack of shirt.

Lissa raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you're 'Teach' now, Vaike, is that it?" She giggled. "And here I thought people were just born lacking wits. It can be taught?"

"She's more ruthless with him than she is with Frederick," Robin F whispered to her brother. Robin M nodded.

"Ha! Never doubt the Vaike!" "Teach" said. Then he looked confused. "Wait, was that last bit an insult?"

"Beg pardon," said a third individual, "but when might we see the captain?"

This woman was dressed in the same light armor Robin M had seen on the pegasus knights that were with the exalt. Her light brown hair was shorter than Maribelle's and she seemed much more approachable.

"Poor Sumia," Maribelle said. "She's simply been beside herself with concern. Her eyes were scanning the horizon all day during training. She might have earned fewer bruises fighting blindfolded."

"Aw, Sumia, that's so sweet of you to worry about Chrom." Lissa said, seemingly oblivious to her friend's implications.

"Worry?" Sumia asked. "Well, I…he's our captain and our prince! Of course I'd worry!"

"Nice save," Robin M said to himself.

"So, who're the strangers?" Vaike asked, turning to face the tacticians.

"No one's stranger than you, Vaike," Lissa teased, "but allow me to introduce Robin M and Robin F!"

"They're…both named Robin?" Vaike asked. "Doesn't that get confusing at times?"

"You quickly learn to get used to it," Robin M said.

"They just joined the Shepherds," Lissa explained. "Chrom's made them the Tricky Twin Tacticians!"

"Did he really call us that?" Robin F asked.

"Nah, I came up with that title myself!" Lissa replied. "I thought it was fitting considering how many tricks you guys have!"

"Oh yeah?" Vaike said with a grin. "Can they do this?" He let loose with a loud and long belch.

"Ugh, Vaike!" Maribelle said, glaring at the fighter. "That was abhorrent."

This was immediately followed by another equally loud belch and everyone turned to the source with surprise.

"Sorry," Robin F said, a hand up to her mouth.

Her brother and Vaike began laughing, much to Maribelle's chagrin. "Honestly, must you baseborn oafs pollute even the air with your buffoonery?"

"Only if you continue to throw pretty little insults our way," Robin M replied.

"At least try to be polite," Robin F scolded. She turned to Maribelle. "Please, forgive him, he needs to work on his people skills."

"This coming from the woman who can't put a simple sentence together in front of the exalt," Robin M retorted.

Maribelle scoffed. "Yes, well I hope you can both improve your manners when next we meet!" At this, she stomped off to the training yard.

"Don't take it to heart, you two," Sumia said. "Maribelle warms to people slowly."

"Or burns too quickly!" Lissa said. "But yeah, just give her time."

"I'm sure she's a lovely person," Robin F said.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Robin M said, ignoring his sister's disapproving gaze.

Sumia looked past the Robins and suddenly perked up. "Ah! Captain!"

Everyone turned to see Chrom walking up to them, Frederick close behind him.

"I was – I mean _we_ were so –" Sumia's next words turned to a surprised shout as she slipped over a piece of paper on the ground and fell flat on her face. She quickly stood up and dusted herself off, as if this were a routine occurrence.

"Sumia!" Chrom said worryingly. "Are you all right? Those boots of yours again?"

"No!" Sumia said quickly. "I mean yes! I mean…ugh."

Chrom shook his head and turned to address the rest of the assembled Shepherds. "All right, listen, everyone! In the morning, we'll be marching to Regna Ferox."

"Where is that in Ylisse?" Robin M asked.

"Actually, it's an empire all it's own," Frederick explained. "It lies to the north beyond a great wall."

"Inhabited by barbarians," Sumia added. "Or so it's said."

"Warriors are what they are, and we'll need their strength to quell this new menace," Chrom said.

"You refer to the undead soldiers? Or the Plegians?" Robin F asked.

"Both," Chrom said. "Typically, the exalt would request such aid in person. But given recent events…well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capital."

"Right, icon of peace and all that," Robin M realized. "So, we're to go in her stead?"

"Indeed," Chrom said. "Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. So, if for any –"

"I volunteer!" Lissa said, raising her hand and jumping up and down.

"Me too!" Vaike said with a grin. "You'll be needin' ol' Teach along for such a delicate mission!"

"Delicate is not the word I'd use to describe you," Robin M said.

"I'll go as well," said a voice from seemingly nowhere. Everyone was startled in unison and turned to look at the voice's source. A man with a plain face, short brown hair, and bulky armor was standing off to the side. He looked between all the faces in confusion. "What? I've been here the whole time."

"Your aid will be most appreciated, Kellam," Chrom said.

"I…I, um…" Sumia said, mumbling.

"Yes, Sumia?" Chrom asked.

"It's just that…" Sumia was shifting from one leg to the other. "I'm not sure I'm quite ready for a proper mission just yet. I'd probably just get in the way."

"Well, you could stay behind the main group," Chrom suggested. "and if a battle is met, just watch and learn?"

"Remember, the mission is voluntary," Robin F pointed out, giving Sumia an encouraging smile. "Just realize that some lessons can only be learned on the battlefield."

"Yes, precisely," Chrom agreed.

"W-well," Sumia said. "if you think it wise, Captain…"

"Just stay by me and you'll be fine," Chrom said with a reassuring smile.

"Oh, yes!" Sumia said excitedly. "I mean – yes, sir, I'll do that!"

Chrom nodded. "Remember everyone, we leave first thing tomorrow morning!" Chrom called out before walking out of the garrison.

Once the prince had left everyone turned to their own tasks. Robin M turned to his sister only to notice her staring at Sumia as she walked out to the training yard.

"Something on your mind?" Robin M asked.

"Hmm?" Robin F turned to her brother. "Oh, it's nothing. I'll be in the training yard if you need anything."

"Tell your fellow dummies I said hi!" Robin M said. His sister stuck her tongue out at him and left. Robin M looked around awkwardly and noticed Frederick inspecting his lance. Robin took a deep breath and marched up to the knight.

"Freddy," Robin M greeted.

"Don't call me that," Frederick said, not looking up from what he was doing.

Robin M sighed. "Look, I get it. You don't like me. But can I please have a word with you at least?"

Frederick put down the lance. "Very well. What is it?"

Robin M took another deep breath. "I…I wanted to apologize for what I said in the forest. I was caught up in my panic and…I completely disregarded your concerns for Chrom and Lissa. It was selfish of me to demand that you ignore your duty just to help me."

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "You're just…apologizing? I never took you for the apologetic type."

Robin clenched his fists. "I am well aware of your opinion of me."

Frederick averted his gaze. "Truth be told, I must apologize as well."

Robin looked at him in surprise. "What for?"

"I lost my temper at you," Frederick said. "Just as you disregarded my duty, so too did I dismiss your devotion to your sister."

Robin was completely taken aback. He had expected some kind of sanctimonious speech about duty, or perhaps a condescending lecture about controlling your emotions. This was not something he could have ever imagined happening.

"Yes, well," Robin M said, "We all made it out alive in the end. We can be thankful for that much."

"Indeed," Frederick agreed. "Now, why exactly did you choose to apologize for this now?"

Robin rubbed his neck. "Thing is, I'm fine enough with magic, but I've discovered that swordplay is not something I could be described as…competent at. And I was hoping that…"

"You want me to train you?" Frederick finished.

"If you wouldn't mind," Robin said.

Frederick thought about the request for a moment. Then he nodded. "You are a part of the Shepherds now, against my better judgement," he said. "I oversee all the Shepherds' training in physical combat, so I am duty bound to help you."

Robin M nodded and held out his hand. "This means a lot, Freddy."

Frederick shook the tactician's hand. "Please stop calling me that."

"I make no promises on that front," Robin M said with a grin.

* * *

Virion smiled upon seeing who was in the training yard. "Ah, most fortuitous fortune! It is none other than my dearly beloved Sully!"

Sully continued striking the training dummy with her wooden sword.

"Your floating, so like a butterfly. Your stinging, so like the bee!" Virion complimented. "Why, it's positively –"

"You got a point, Ruffles?" she asked without even looking at him.

"None save the point of my heart's compass, which strains ever toward Sully," Virion said.

"That sounds like a no." Sully began striking the dummy with twice as much force. "So get lost, I'm trying to train here."

"So cold! I feel a chill coming on," Virion said, his flirtatious smile never wavering. "I'll surely catch my death if you don't spare a few warm words, milady."

Sully didn't even dignify that with a response.

"Come now! All this training for war, all this angry grunting…it's unbecoming of a lady so beauteous!" Virion continued.

Realizing she wouldn't be getting rid of the archer any time soon, she sighed and turned to face him. "A pretty girl can stab a guy as easy as an ugly one. But she still needs to practice…so clear out!"

"No doubt the poets would write of your grace in combat. 'Stabulous,' they'd say!" Virion said. He ignored the dumbfounded expression Sully made at the word "stabulous." "But there is no need for such exertions. Not when you've a man to protect you!"

"I've yet to see a man up to that task," Sully said, unimpressed by Virion's flattery.

"Milady, you wound me," Virion said. "Such a man stands before you at this very moment!"

Sully looked around the training yard, finding no one else standing there. Then she grinned. "Wait, are you talking about…you?" She laughed loudly. "Oh, you're a funny guy, Ruffles. I'll give you that."

Virion sighed. "I wasn't joking."

"Do you have any idea how many people try to kill me on a daily basis?" Sully asked. "It'd take a certified hero just to keep up, let alone 'protect' me."

"And I vow to be just such a hero!" Virion proclaimed.

Sully shook her head. "Ruffles, I'd hire a wet nurse AND her kid as protectors before I'd consider you."

Virion's smile suddenly took on a challenging edge. "So it is proof milady desires, is it? So be it! I shall gladly furnish such! Watch closely our next battle. I'll display such heroism as makes for legend and song!" With that, Virion walked away to practice his marksmanship in another corner of the yard.

"Oh, this'll be good," Sully said as she went back to training.

* * *

Lissa sighed as she slumped on the table in the garrison. Maribelle was still nowhere to be found and everyone else was busy with their own tasks. It left her with much time to think, which could be a very dangerous thing.

"Well, that was a big one." Lissa snapped up and turned to see her brother moving to sit next to her.

"Oh, Chrom!" Lissa greeted.

"Something on your mind?" Chrom asked. "Or are you just sighing for the sheer joy of it?"

"Well, it's just…" Lissa took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Do I…do I seem like a princess to you?"

"Er, how's that?" Chrom asked, his brow furrowed.

"I'm asking if I seem like a princess," Lissa said, annoyed that she had to repeat the question.

"If you're not," Chrom said with a smile, "then you owe us some rent for your room in the castle."

"Oh, hardy har!" Lissa said, frowning at her brother's bad joke. "That's not what I mean and you know it!" She sighed again. "I'm asking if you think I live up to my station."

"What brought this on?" Chrom asked, suddenly concerned.

"When I compare myself to you and Emmeryn," Lissa said, looking at the wall with a far-off look in her eyes, "I…I feel like dead weight."

Chrom shook his head. "What a stupid thing to say!"

"Hey!" Lissa punched her brother in the arm.

"Ow!" Chrom said, holding his arm in surprise. "Well, it's the truth. You're fine just how you are, Lissa. Give yourself a little credit." He suddenly stood up. "I'm going to see how everyone else is faring. I'll see you later."

"Hey, don't give me a lazy answer and then run away!" Lissa called. "I hope you trip and break your nose, jerkface!"

Chrom waved at his sister as he walked out into the training yard.

Lissa sat back down and set her head against the table. "Okay, that last bit may not have been the most princess-like."

* * *

Robin M started breathing heavily and let the tip of his practice sword hit the ground. He was beginning to regret asking Frederick for help.

"Your grip, stance, and breathing are wrong," the wary knight said. "Focus, Robin. Again!"

"This has to be the thirtieth time you forced me through the same exact drill, Freddy," Robin protested.

"We are here to hone your swordsmanship, not your counting skills," Frederick said. "Again!"

Robin groaned and continued attacking the post with just as much gusto as before.

"Keep it up, Robin!" Robin M turned and saw Chrom waving at him as he walked to another section of the yard.

"How come I don't see him training?" Robin asked as he continued bashing the post.

"Prince Chrom has other duties to concern himself with," Frederick said. "He is overseeing the preparations for the march out tomorrow."

"Well, isn't he just lucky," Robin said as he landed a solid strike against the post's side.

Frederick nodded as Robin finished the drill. "That's enough for today."

Robin sighed with relief and dropped the sword to the ground. He sat down next to it and tried to catch his breath.

"If I am to be honest," Frederick said, lowering himself next to the tactician, "your form has improved considerably. The pace of your progress is remarkable."

"A compliment from…Frederick the Wary?" Robin gasped between breaths. "Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming!" He took a deep breath. "But in all seriousness, thank you again for this…I have the basics down now." He suddenly fell on his back with a sigh. "But I'm just…s-so tired…I think I'm dying."

"You are exaggerating," Frederick said, seeing right through Robin's overacting. "Or at least, I pray so. Otherwise you might as well die here – you won't last long on the battlefield."

"Perhaps," Robin conceded, sitting up. "But still, I feel exhausted. I can't imagine how you can fight in that armor without getting as tired as me."

"Many years of practice," Frederick said. "I must keep in top shape if I am to serve Chrom."

"Okay, I'll admit it," Robin said. "You've impressed me. What's your secret? How did Frederick the Wary get to be so resilient?"

Frederick thought about this. "Well, I awaken before dawn each day to build the campfires," he said. "Then, whenever we march, I scout the trail ahead, removing rocks and such. Wouldn't do to have someone turn an ankle mid-campaign."

"Wait, so you don't just collect pebbles for the fun of it?" Robin M asked. Frederick fixed him with that glare again. Robin cleared his throat and continued so he could change the subject. "I owe you for this training session. In a situation like this, my sister would say that the decent thing to do would be to help you with tomorrow's fire."

"So you _can_ remember common decency without your sibling there to remind you," Frederick said. "Frankly, I am impressed."

"Yeah, yeah," Robin said, waving away Frederick's sarcastic remarks. "I suppose I deserve that one. Anyway, I think we'll get the fire done twice as fast with me around to help. One lightning bolt against a tree will be all it takes!"

"…to start a forest fire," Frederick added.

"Well, sure, that MIGHT happen," Robin conceded. "But you can't deny the fire would get started a lot quicker."

"I think I can handle the campfire on my own," Frederick said. "You're just a walking fire hazard…and a hazard in general for that matter."

"But I still owe you," Robin said. "So…name whatever you want and it's yours, Freddy."

"You could stop referring to me by that ridiculous nickname," Frederick suggested.

"Anything but that," Robin corrected himself. "Tell you what, give it some thought and tell me what you want when we make camp tomorrow, alright?"

Frederick sighed. "I suppose I should have expected an answer like that. I am unaccustomed to asking favors, but if you insist, I shall find something."

"Great!" Robin M said, shaking Frederick's hand. "I promise, whatever it is you want, I will not rest until I get it for you."

"Why am I not reassured by that statement?" Frederick asked himself.

* * *

Chrom looked around the area of the training yard. This was where people practiced long-distance battle. He could see Virion collecting arrows from a target. At the far end of the field he found the one he was looking for. Robin F was staring intently at a large book, though it was clearly not her Wind tome.

"Finished training for the day, Robin?" Chrom asked as he walked up.

She greeted Chrom with a smile. "With combat practice, yes. But I thought I might review a few battle histories."

"The day's almost over," Chrom pointed out. "You should relax a bit. Conserve your strength for the march tomorrow. Experienced soldiers rest when they can. Once we're on the road, we'll never know when the next battle will break out."

"I suppose our business in Southtown and the forest is proof enough of that," Robin agreed. "Truthfully, I've barely had time to eat at all today."

"The road will only get tougher from here on out," Chrom said.

"You needn't worry, I'll get rest whenever I can," Robin assured the captain. "A lady needs her beauty sleep, after all."

Chrom chuckled a bit, much to Robin's confusion. "Did I say something amusing?"

"No, it's nothing," Chrom said. "It's just that…well, I never took you to be one to care after beauty and such. I suppose I've never really thought of you as a lady."

In almost an instant, Robin's expression changed to a scowl. "Excuse me?!" she demanded.

Chrom seemed to finally realize what it was he had just said. "No! I mean," he stammered, desperately trying to cover for his mistake. "I didn't mean – not like that! That is to say, a 'lady,' per se…er…"

Robin crossed her arms in indignation. "I suggest you choose your next words very carefully."

"Well it's just," Chrom said, sweat beginning to form on his brow, "you know, how you fight and strategize and…not to say a lady can't fight, but…gods, this is coming out all wrong."

"My goodness, Chrom," Robin said, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're the scion of a noble family, aren't you? Didn't they teach you manners at your fancy schools growing up?"

"Oh, gods, yes. Of course they did," Chrom said. "We spent a whole term on etiquette."

"Perhaps you could use another term, this time with focus on how to talk to a lady," Robin suggested.

"It's just that," Chrom continued, "my image of a 'lady' is someone so prim and proper…perfumed, and pretty. Nothing like you at all! When I look at you, I just don't see a 'lady.' Does that –" He took a step back when he saw what Robin was picking up from the ground. "Um, Robin? What are you doing with that rock?"

"I'm thinking that a sharp blow to the head might _fix your eyesight!_ " Robin cried out in anger.

Chrom took another few steps back. "N-no, wait! IT was just a joke! Ha ha…ha?"

Robin did not seem amused in the slightest. She threw the rock in the air and caught it over and over as the two stared each other down.

"Er, gotta go!" Chrom said before turning around and running full tilt.

"Get back here!" Robin shouted, missing Chrom with her first throw. "Hold still you ill-mannered dolt!"

Virion watched the prince run off with Robin F in hot pursuit. He shook his head. "Some people just do not know how to talk to a lady," he remarked to himself.

* * *

Robin M watched as Chrom ran into the garrison at full sprint. He tilted his head. "What's his problem?"

"I'd better go and check on him," Frederick said.

"You two!" Both of them froze in place upon hearing Robin F walking up to them. "Did you see where Chrom ran off to?"

"I fail to see why I should –"

"Well, did you?!" Robin F demanded, cutting off Frederick and glaring at him. Surprisingly, the knight actually recoiled a bit.

"I think I saw him run into the garrison, but I don't know where he went after that," Robin M quickly said.

"I don't believe it," Robin F said, shaking her head. "The little craven actually ran away!" She stomped off into the garrison. "What kind of manners…sheesh!"

When she was gone, Frederick turned to Robin M. "What in Ylisse was that?"

"You, Freddy my friend, just got to bear witness to a rare scene," Robin M said. "My sister is sweet and full of wonder and cheer most of the time. But when you get her mad, even the most black-hearted brigand would flee with his tail between his legs." He put a hand up to his chin. "Still, I can't help but wonder just what it was Chrom did to get her so mad…"

* * *

 **A/N: So ends the first Support Chapter! Hope everyone is satisfied with what I've provided so far.**

 **In response to Andromeda...well, the Robins having the same name is kind of the point. The joke is that people will get confused about the name and it will create some Who's on First shenanigans.** **My rationale behind giving them the nicknames Robin M or Robin F was that it was similar to how teachers can have multiple students with the same name and refer to them by their last initials. But don't worry, as the story goes on I'll think up some better nicknames for them; the F and M thing might be a temporary deal.**

 **As for the shippings...well, you'll just have to wait and see on that front. Something I should mention: Just because two people have a support conversation does NOT automatically mean that they will eventually end up married (as much as Virion would wish otherwise). With that, I hope you all will leave a review with your thoughts.**


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